Game of Beasts
by DelenaDJ
Summary: PART OF MY CROSSOVER COLLECTION. AU - A rebellion has begun, a war they didn't expect, a betrayal that cuts deep. Let the game over the fate of the Dark Dimension begin.
1. Paradise

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything! This is a CROSSOVER story so it will draw heavily from other shows. If that's not your cup of tea, then try some stories from my CANON collection.**

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_We stand in awe before that which cannot be seen and we respect with every fiber that which cannot be explained. _These are the teachings of The Dark Dimension, the home of all supernatural creatures. Ruled by the Dark King whose existence is as symbolic as it is absolute, the sovereign of all mystical beasts resides in The Dark City, a separate, special plane of existence in the very core of The Dark Dimension. Uninvolved in the day-to-day running of his kingdom, he has given full control of the government to the Noble Chambers and the 5th Princess, Elena Petrova. Known as the Great Weave Guard, she founded the Imperial Hunter Squads, the primary military branch of The Dark Dimension, and has been a member of the group since its inception as well as the head of the Royal Guard. Skilled in mystical arts, levitation, hand-to-hand combat, and swordsmanship, The Imperial Hunter Squads' mission is to not only defend The Dark Dimension, but also to eliminate demons of Hell that emerge outside the boundaries of the Demonic Court to feed upon humans, thus, exposing the activities of The Dark Dimension to the Human World. Possessing high amounts of mana energy, Hunters do not visibly age, cannot be easily killed, and carry a Demon Blade, swords that are said to be reflections of a Hunter's power and soul. A living spirit empowers the sword and lends its strength to the Hunter who wields it. Hunters can access various powers through the unlocking of seals on the blade. The first seal release is called Archikos while the second seal release is referred to as Telikos. For centuries, the Hunters have carried out their mission and lived in relative peace. However, everything is about to change.

An ivory tower shone brilliantly in The Dark City. This tower houses the king, his large family, and the Royal Guard. While it was a rainy, dreary day in The Dark Dimension, Elena couldn't help but notice that the king's palace had not lost one ounce of its radiance. She had been summoned by the king for an audience and whispers abounded from the Royal Family as she passed through the ivory corridors of his Court to the throne room. A black, wispy figure sat on a golden throne. In all her hundreds of years, Elena had never once seen her father's true face. As a form of protection, he always hid behind this shroud, although her mother had once commented on seeing his true appearance. She remembered she had said that he was quite a handsome, strong man.

"Look at that. She has an audience with the King and she didn't even change into her royal robes," whispered Elena's half-sister, Tatia. Elena rolled her eyes. Now she remembered why she hated the Court. Her whole family was so stuck-up. She couldn't help it if she was technically on-duty. Under such circumstances, she was required to wear her military garb, a white long sleeve v-neck shirt, three sets of red and black robes, each layer longer than the one above it, black pants, black boots, and of course the signature black, sleeveless coat of a Captain. A blood red sash was tied at her waist and held two swords; a powder blue handle jutted out from her right and left side. The fact that Elena was carrying two swords was a testament to her strength. Most Hunters only possessed one. A buckle featuring the insignia of The Imperial Hunter Squads, an eagle perching atop a stylistic compass, was clipped to the sash. Black fingerless gloves were pulled on up to her elbow and half of her silky brunette locks were pinned up into a messy bun, garnished with a fresh orange lily from her husband's garden.

"Silence, Tatia!" ordered the King. "You will pay respect to the Blood Mist Captain."

"My apologies, my lord, sister."

"You summoned me, my lord?" Elena asked, bowing.

"Yes. I typically don't involve myself in such affairs, but I would like to know the state of things among the Imperial Hunter Squads."

"I see. It has been one week since the passing of the Head Captain. May I be frank, my lord?" Elena asked, rising to meet the king's gaze.

"Please."

"The Captain's Council is at each other's throats for the man's position. Captain of Squad 1 and the Head Captain of all thirteen units. It's quite a prestigious position."

"With prestige comes power."

"Yes. I agree. It seems the Noble Chambers is taking their time in filling the position."

"You are concerned?"

"If this keeps dragging out, there won't be a Captain's Council. The fighting is quickly evolving from verbal barbs to bar brawls. It's disgraceful."

"Hmm. I see your point. Do you have any evidence as to why the Chambers won't make a decision?"

"There are many noble families among the Captain's Council, sir. Petrovas, Salvatores, Mikaelsons. All of which have representatives in the Chambers. I only attended one session and the politics I witnessed disgusted me."

"It appears a decision must be made then, a decision that supersedes the authority of the Noble Chambers. I shall make a decree."

"What?" Elena whispered, shocked. The king hadn't made a public decree in centuries.

"Until death touches her soul, I hereby decree that the Head of the Royal Guard, Elena Petrova, be removed from her station and given the title Head Captain of the Imperial Hunter Squads, Captain of Squad 1. You are quite honorable for not partaking in these petty squabbles over power, my child. You have earned such a position."

"I am honored, my lord."

"However, this position will not come without a price. I read your report on the activities of the humans. I request that as your first order of business you take care of _that man_." Elena looked down.

"Yes. Of course."

"I will leave it to you to promote someone as the new Head of the Royal Guard and my messenger has just sent the decree throughout The Dark Dimension. You should take your leave." Elena nodded and turned to leave, her robes trailing behind her. "Oh, Elena?" She looked back. "How is that husband of yours?"

"He is quite well. We are happy. I will give him your regards," Elena replied warmly before leaving. She chuckled as she walked out of The Court, noticing all her family's scowls. Elena's marriage had been nothing but unorthodox. Traditionally, marriage had remained within the Royal Family. A woman either married a Petrova or Gilbert. That is how it had been for centuries. But Elena had eloped with a noble lord, a man she loved dearly. While the king had forgiven her for such a transgression, most of the remaining members of her family had not, although they couldn't voice their opinions in front of the King who had ultimately blessed the marriage. They were in quite the pickle. As she headed toward the gate that led to The Dark Dimension, a servant approached her. "Send a message to the Monk of Perception. He is being promoted to Head of the Royal Guard." The servant nodded and then left.

Sensing the key that was inscribed on Elena's very bones, the gate to The Dark Dimension charged to life, forming what appeared to be a puddle-like doorway. She walked through the portal and emerged on the other side, shaking off the remnants of her travel. Elena hated traversing dimensions. It always left her with a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. She turned to walk down a set of torch-lit stairs, the cold wind beating on her face, and saw that night had fallen over The Dark Dimension. She smiled as the nightly aurora shone in the dark sky. As she reached the bottom of the steps, she noticed a young hunter waiting for her.

"Good evening, Head Captain," the Hunter greeted.

"Word travels fast. You must be my new Lieutenant."

"Bonnie Bennett, my lady."

"Please call me Elena. We are going to be working closely with each other. There's no need for royal titles." Bonnie nodded.

"Is there anything you need?"

"As a matter of fact, there is. Send hell butterflies to all the Captains. Inform them that a Captain's meeting will be held tomorrow. That will be all. I'm turning in."

As Elena walked past Bonnie, she noticed a striking tattoo on her wrist, a pentagram inside a circle. The Mark of the Witches. Every person living in The Dark Dimension had a similar tattoo, although the design differed depending on his or her species. For example, Elena has a tattoo of a dragon encircling a fleur-di-lis, representing not only the Royal Family, but the powerful doppelganger blood that runs through her family's immortal veins. The symbol was often referred to as the Mark of the Immortals. Her husband also had a similar tattoo, a large V with two jutting pieces at the ends, resembling fangs. The Mark of the Vampires. Contrary to the vampires of human lore, Dark Dimension vampires can only be killed by heart extraction or beheading and they do not have to feed on human blood to survive. The majority of vampires in The Dark Dimension remain healthy through the consumption of blood tablets, a type of substitute blood that was developed by the Royal Family through the manipulation of doppelganger blood.

As the night sky grew darker, Elena knew she should get home soon. Her husband was probably getting worried. As she maneuvered through the empty streets and passed over mid-air bridges, she finally reached her destination. The compound of the noble Salvatore Family. She entered the foyer of the home and noticed everything was still. Everyone must have gone to bed. She passed through a hallway that led outside and to the heart of the compound, the quarters she shared with Damon Salvatore, Head of the Salvatore Family. She passed through the gardens and then entered her bedroom to find Damon lying on the bed, apparently asleep. She smiled and turned to an empty stand, removed her two swords, and rested her weapons on them for the night. She pulled the flower and pins out of her hair before rubbing her eyes. She was exhausted. It had been a long day. As she began to pull her clothes off, her ears overheard Damon's heart skip a beat.

"I know you're awake. I can hear your heartbeat," Elena scowled.

"Damn," he cursed. "I've got to stop letting you have my blood during sex. You're spoiling all my fun." Elena rolled her eyes and climbed into bed under the white covers, nestling right beside Damon. "You missed dinner."

"I'm sorry. I know it upsets you that I travel so much."

"Well, that's about to change, Mrs. Head Captain." Elena chuckled.

"Yeah, he freed me from my Royal Guard duties."

"I heard the decree."

"You aren't upset?"

"Eh, I didn't really want that job anyway. Handling Squad 6, you, and my brother is a lot for one man. I don't think I could handle that and the whole army."

"You're such a jerk," Elena laughed as she playfully hit him in the chest. "We're having a meeting in the afternoon. Can I tell you the rest tomorrow?"

"Sure," Damon replied, his blue eyes sparkling. He littered the olive skin of her neck with wet kisses and Elena closed her eyes, moaning.

"Hmm. Damon." Opening her eyes, she noticed his lust filled gaze and brought his lips to hers.

"Elena," he murmured as he cupped her breast, leaving her lips for her tempting neck and shoulders. His right hand trailed down to her hip with help from Elena as she guided him to her core. Her eyes rolled back into her head as his fingers brushed her folds. She moaned loudly as his index finger entered her tight warmth. Damon purred in carnal delight at the sight of her as she bucked against his hand. She was a goddess and she was all his. For eternity. Her hands grasped for his shoulders and slid down his arms, her nails raking down the skin.

"Don't stop," she whimpered as he withdrew his hand.

"Never," he rasped as he lifted her leg around his waist and entered her. They both moaned in ecstasy as they ground against each other in that familiar dance they knew so well. Damon growled as he kissed her neck, feeling the pulse of her blood and her inner walls. She was close. Veins slid down from Damon's eyes as Elena thrust roughly against him, needing more friction. He couldn't hold himself back anymore. Not with those sexy noises coming out of her mouth and the heat of her body pulsing in tandem with his heartbeat. Quick as a viper, his fangs slid into her carotid. He growled as she screamed in pleasure. As the first drop of her rare blood met his tongue, they both met their mutual release. After a few pulls, he left her neck and licked it clean, sealing the wound. He then laid his head on her stomach, panting. He bit his wrist and offered it to her.

"I thought you didn't want me to spoil your fun anymore."

"When the sex's that hot, baby, I don't mind my blood being in you. Besides, it wouldn't do if the new Head Captain had bite marks on her neck." Elena chuckled and accepted his blood. When she felt the skin knit back together, she drew away from his arm and sleep took them both.


	2. Too Close

As the wind shifted through her hair, Elena gazed out over a cliff on the training grounds that overlooked all of The Dark Dimension. Waterfalls gushed into the haven of sea creatures, The Loch, and the crescent moon shaped neighborhoods of The Hunters stood tall and proud. Architecture and plant life wove together in the city of the Hunters, The Celestial Court. Suddenly, Elena felt a presence.

"You call that hiding your mana, Damon?"

"I let you notice on purpose," he said as he moved to punch her. Elena sidestepped the move.

"You're too cocky."

Beginning their sparring session, she flashed in front of him to kick him, but he blocked the blow. She sent a deluge of kicks and punches his way, but he blocked them all with his bare hands until she kicked some dust in his face. She threw a punch and just as her fist was going to collide with his face, she stopped right in front of his nose.

"My dentist thanks you for pulling your punch and not knocking my teeth out."

"You're welcome, but I was just loosening the tightness in my shoulder."

"Looks like you're a little more stressed out than usual."

"I'm at that tender age where one has lots of worries."

"Worries? Don't tease me. I'm sure someone like you doesn't have a worry in the world." He laughed and then she hit him on the head. "Ow!"

"Come on. Let's go have this meeting."

Meanwhile, two captains were waiting outside the imposing doors painted with the insignia of Squad 1, a dark purple chrysanthemum.

"Hello! It's Captain Marcel Gerard of Squad 3. Can someone open up? There's nothing I hate more than having to visit the Squad 1 barracks. Always trying to intimidate. The whole squad makes me so nervous."

"Funny. You don't look nervous. Please don't have a temper-tantrum just because these meetings bore you," said Klaus, the Captain of Squad 5.

"Shut up. You can't even see my expression from back there," said Marcel, turning to see his mentor behind him. The doors then creaked open.

"The door's open."

"I can see…" Suddenly, a redhead zoomed out of the barracks and kicked Marcel in the face.

"Nice to see you, Marcel. Good to know that face of yours is as flat as ever," said Sage, the Captain of Squad 2.

"What's wrong with you, Sage!" Marcel yelled, cradling his bloody nose.

"I'm not apologizing."

"I haven't asked you to yet."

"Good. Then we're both in agreement I have nothing to say sorry for." A Scottish man then hit her in the head.

"Say you're sorry, idiot! You are hopeless."

"What the hell, Galen? You just can't go pounding the head of another captain!"

"Your husband's on assignment so someone has to make sure you're behaving," said the Squad 10 Captain.

"I have no obligation to apologize to a guy like that. Just look at that flat face. Man, it annoys me."

"Okay, I get it," Galen sighed as he pulled Sage into the barracks.

"Let me go, you big ape." All the captains then walked into the Squad 1 Barracks' Hall of Magic. With large cathedral-like ceilings, the room functioned as a lobby before Captains' meetings. A table was set up with tea and snacks and overlooked a small garden. Floating above a fountain was a Star Ball, an item said to be the very heart and soul of The Dark Dimension.

"Is everyone here?" Marcel asked as he looked at a wall with thirteen hooks on it, each labeled with a squad number. Ten of the hooks had wooden tablets placed on them, declaring their corresponding Captain's attendance.

"Just about," Galen replied.

"Squad 11 isn't here yet," said Marcel, noticing the empty hook.

"They left. Their Captain does whatever he wants."

"Geez, what an irritating guy. Why'd they ever promote a pig like him to Captain in the first place?"

"Because they had no choice. If anyone's to blame, it's the previous Captain who lost to him. You know the custom."

"You're right. It's such a pity I could cry."

"Now, now. I don't approve of this criticism," said Alaric Saltzman, the Captain of Squad 9. He had entered the room with his colleague, Matt Donovan, the Captain of Squad 7.

"You're early today, Alaric," said Galen.

"What are you talking about? I'm usually the first one to arrive."

"Man, there's been such a turnover in captains lately. The old man passed away. The former Captain of Squad 11 got himself killed and now I hear Squad 12 has a vacancy," said Marcel, not having heard the news about Elena's new position.

"Don't worry about it. Change is inevitable in everything, you know? We just have to deal with it. When you think about it the only ones who have been captains for over a hundred years are me, Damon, and Elena," Alaric replied.

"I believe you're forgetting about Katerina," said Klaus.

"Oh yeah. She'd be livid if I forgot about her. Now I'm scared."

"What are you so scared of?" Katerina Petrova, the Captain of Squad 4, asked them from behind. Alaric froze.

"We were just talking about how it's such a nice day outside it's scary. Right?"

"Yeah," Matt nodded.

"What an idiot," Sage murmured.

"Why are you all blocking the entrance?" Damon asked from behind the group, Caroline Forbes, the Captain of Squad 8, beside him. The Captains moved aside and let them pass.

"Tell her congratulations," said Katerina to Damon.

"If you have something to say to your sister, tell her yourself. She'll be here in a minute. Let's line up."

"Say what? The new Head Captain is Elena?" Marcel murmured.

The Captains then proceeded to walk into the Antechamber of the Fallen, the meeting hall of the Captains. Evidence of the Imperial Hunter Squads' success of killing demons was apparent in this room. Stuffed demons lined the walls and Elena's first kill, the skeleton of a particularly large amphibious demon, hung from the ceiling. Once the Captains formed two lines, Elena walked in, forgoing the throne at the front of the room to stand in front of her associates.

"Good morning, everyone. I assume most of you have heard of the news. I don't want to hear any complaints about the new order of things. This was an edict from the Dark King himself. So no more arguing…Marcel." Galen chuckled. "You too, Galen." Vaughn immediately clammed up. "Now, let's get…wait, we're missing two people. Where are Mikael and Finn?"

"Finn's still on assignment," said Sage.

"And Father went off to do who knows what," Klaus added.

"Fine. Whatever. Just make sure you tell them what we've discussed. I'm going to cut out the pleasantries and get straight to the point. Have you all heard the latest news? About the violent deaths in The Precincts?" The Dark Dimension is divided into two areas: The Celestial Court and The Precincts. Home to the Hunters, the Celestial Court is suspended above The Precincts, the most populous area of The Dark Dimension where individuals who aren't Hunters live.

"Violent deaths?" Klaus asked.

"Yes. In the past month or so, there have been a series of residents disappearing from The Precincts. The reason is unknown."

"Disappearing? As in they went somewhere and never came back?"

"You dumbass. That's not disappearing. That's called running away," Damon snapped.

"And if they just ran away no one would care about them. No one would go looking," Elena added. "Not this. This is different. They literally disappear. Gone. Without a trace. Leaving only their clothes behind. The only theory I can come up with is that someone is sucking the life force out of these poor souls and they're unable to retain their physical form. They evaporate into the wind."

"Sounds like witchy voodoo to me," Damon replied.

"Why is that always your answer to everything?" Matt asked, taking offense to the comment as he was a warlock himself.

"Voodoo or not, I want Squad 2 to investigate it," Elena ordered.

"Do I have to?" Sage complained. Elena sent her a look. "I mean why my squad?"

"Because I said so," Elena answered as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Yeah, well who made you Queen?"

"The King."

"Yeah, well, I don't agree with that. I've been in this damn job eighty years. I deserve the role of Head Captain." After that, all hell broke loose. Elena sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"ENOUGH!" Damon yelled. "You're all acting like children! Sage, the fact that you demand the title of Head Captain is proof you're not ready. Elena's the only one out of all the captains who didn't even want the job. Now do you really think the old man would appreciate you talking like this to not only a colleague, but the 5th Princess of The Dark King! Now shut up, follow her orders, and get back in line or so help me God I will release Attila in this room and slice you all to ribbons!" At the mention of Damon's Demon Blade, the Captains composed themselves and moved back into their orderly lines.

"Thank you, Captain Salvatore. However, please don't interfere on my behalf again," Elena replied, not wanting to show weakness.

"As you wish, Head Captain."

"Now, Sage, you _will_ go out with your men down to the Precincts and you _will_ investigate this matter. Am I understood!"

"Yes, ma'am." Elena let out a breath.

"Okay. Now, a bit of housekeeping. I know a few of you are not at ease due to the vacancy in Squad 12. I will soon be filling that position with a man who I'm certain will make things interesting. Also, I will be leaving The Dark Dimension today for an assignment. In my absence, Captain Saltzman will be in charge. Any questions or issues you take to him until I return. Sage, Niklaus, Katerina, Matt, Alaric, and Caroline, you are dismissed." The named captains nodded and left. "So…that leaves Marcel, Galen, and Damon."

"Did you have something you wanted to speak with us in particular, Head Captain?" Galen asked.

"Yes. It's pertaining to my assignment. I would greatly appreciate it if you three would accompany me. I've been given orders by The Dark King to eliminate this man." A hologram of a blonde-haired man appeared in the middle of the room. "His name is Wes Maxfield. When I was Head of the Royal Guard, I met him during one of my first assignments to the human world. My mission was to locate an organization that was experimenting on supernaturals and eliminate it." Although the Dark Dimension was home to every supernatural creature, the residents of this otherworldly dimension often grew curious of the outside worlds and went to explore, breaching the barrier between the human world and The Dark Dimension. "This Wes…he was very peculiar for a mortal. He could see spirits."

"That means he has potential for the Power," said Galen, surprised.

"Yes. A small percentage of the human population can gain supernatural abilities similar to ours," said Elena as she looked down at her sword. "However, such a goal can't be achieved without a little help. Let me back up a bit. Wes' mother was attacked by a demon. She survived, but traces of the demon's power remained inside his mother's body. These powers were then passed onto him at the moment of his birth. Consequentially, the Power resembles more that of a demon than a hunter. But that's beside the point. I befriended the man. That was my first mistake. He had discovered a way to steal a Hunter's power through force. When my guard was down he zapped away my mana, claiming he was going to use my power to capture even more supernaturals." The three captains looked at Elena, shocked. "Yes, Wes was the creator of the organization I had been sent to destroy. Of the many rules the Royal Chambers has initiated, there are two that must never be violated. One, no supernatural must enter the human world without a Hunter escort. This law was created due to Wes' organization. Second, no Hunter should ever willingly or unwillingly allow their Power to fall into the hands of a human. This law was created due to my own failures. Over time, I recovered that which I had lost, but in the eyes of the Royal Family I was a criminal. They proclaimed that I had _let_ him take my Power. I was forbidden from ever returning to The Dark City on a more permanent basis. Traditionally, a member of the Royal Guard lives in The Dark City. However, I had to be punished. I was ousted from my home and forced to travel between both dimensions."

"Punished for something that wasn't even your fault. Sounds like the Royals," said Damon.

"I've come to terms with it. While I recovered, Hunter after Hunter were sent to eliminate Wes. They all failed. He took their Power and he became stronger and stronger until the only thing that could stop him would be a Hunter with my level of skill in the field. However, when I had recovered all my abilities, he and his organization had disappeared. Without a trace. I've been trying to track him in secret for years. He's popped up again. As my first duty as Head Captain of the Imperial Hunter Squads, I have been ordered by The Dark King to eliminate him once and for all. Things are a lot more complicated now though. He's found others like him and trained them, helped the Power bloom within them. These individuals are Tobias, Nate, Chloe, Derek, and Joshua." An image of each of the targets appeared as a hologram. "There would be no reason for him to assemble such a group unless he was planning something big. We need to squash this group before things get out of hand. That is why I've asked for your help." The captains nodded in agreement.

"Are we permitted to bring our Lieutenants?" Marcel asked.

"I'm not bringing Bonnie, but I see no reason to object."

"I'll bring Thierry."

"I'll bring Stefan along too," Damon added. "He's itching for a good fight. Won't stop pestering me about sparring with him."

"Galen, would you like to bring your Lieutenant?" Elena asked.

"I think a group of six will suffice, Head Captain. Besides, I've chained Rebekah to her desk so she'll do her paperwork."

"Yes. She is quite the slacker," Elena chuckled. "Alright. That is all. I have some business to conduct concerning the new Captain of Squad 12." Elena paused for a moment. "Would you all like to meet him? He's quite entertaining."

"How could we refuse such an offer? Since you won't even tell me who this guy is, he must be quite the Hunter," said Damon.

"Come with me. We're paying a visit to the Maggot's Nest."


	3. Diggin My Own Grave

"Here we are. My old headquarters. The Squad 12 barracks," said Elena as they arrived at a large wooden door, painted with the Squad 12 insignia, an olive green thistle.

"What are we doing here?" Marcel asked.

"We're visiting the Maggot's Nest."

"Never heard of it."

"Of course you wouldn't have. It's been kept secret for years. It's a prison for people who commit punishable offenses within The Celestial Court. We investigate and if necessary apprehend any Hunters whose ideas and actions could put other Hunters at risk or obstruct performance of the squads' duties. The facility where we put them is here…in Squad 12's barracks. It's isolated on the northwest side of these grounds beyond a huge fifty meter wide moat."

"You want to bring a criminal in as a Captain? Are you crazy?" Damon whispered as they walked across a bridge which stretched over the moat.

"Everything is not as it appears, love. Here we are. The underground confinement station. Also known as the Maggot's Nest." Elena then removed her swords from the sash tied to her waist and handed them to a guard standing by the steel door to the complex. "Please leave your blades with these men." After doing as she asked, they walked down a steep passage to a prison yard filled with people. "The truth is it really isn't an underground prison. I mean they're not allowed to leave or anything, but for the most part they aren't restricted in the facility. I advise you all to be cautious. Sometimes they get a little rowdy."

"What exactly did these people do?" Damon asked.

"Nothing."

"What?"

"These people haven't done anything wrong. Yet. According to the criteria of The Celestial Court, they were people who were deemed to be dangerous elements. They committed no crime so we can't try them. However, if they were left free they could end up being dangerous. That's why we keep them confined in here. Safely tucked away. Have you ever heard of a Hunter resigning? Truth of the matter is there's nothing in our system that allows for resignation. Those who are required to leave the squad for personal reasons are considered to be on a leave of absence. If they are not able to return in a specified amount of time, they're discharged. We cannot willingly accept the resignation of a Hunter. If you leave the squad, you've resigned from the organization and since resignation is not allowed, you are considered expelled, brought here, and placed in confinement."

"Why go through all that trouble?" Marcel asked.

"The Imperial Hunter Squads are a noble organization and as such it must never produce unsuitable elements. That's the philosophy of the Noble Chambers. If I had my way, none of this would have been necessary. I had to meet them halfway. Rather than bring unsuitables into the population, they're taken away and dealt with in secret. I don't argue that all the people here aren't potentially dangerous, but in many cases I believe negative energy can be turned into something extremely positive." Suddenly, one of the prisoners ran toward Elena. "Oh, not this nonsense again." Damon went to draw his blade, but realized he didn't have it on him. As the burly man tried to launch a punch, Elena raised her hand, stopping the man with the sheer intensity of her mana energy. "I'm sorry about this, gentlemen. I apologize for not explaining earlier. Bringing any kind of weapon into Confinement is forbidden. That's why there's a hard and fast rule of anyone running Squad 12 to be especially skilled in hand-to-hand combat." Elena then turned to the man who tried to attack her. "My, my, you've already forgotten my face? It's only been two days and after I took such good care of you." She grabbed the man by his shirt and threw him over her into a wall. The other prisoners began to attack. Elena punched two of them, dodged two more attacks, and kicked two men. Her graceful movements didn't go unnoticed by Galen, Damon, and Marcel. "It appears as though you have all forgotten about me. How terribly rude." Elena looked around and saw all the prisoners had stopped. "Anyone want some more?" They began to back up. "That's what I thought. Come. Let's go. We're visiting someone very special." They walked down a dark corridor only lit by candles. "Beyond here is someone dangerous enough to be confined to his own cell."

"Is that you, Elena? What brings you here to a place like this?" said the dark-haired prisoner.

"I came down here because I wanted to have a chat. These are my colleagues, Damon Salvatore, Marcel Gerard, and Galen Vaughn. Let me ask you something, Lorenzo Sarcosi. Would you be interested in leaving this place?"

"I don't think so."

"And why not?"

"I've become satisfied with my life here. I have no need to go outside."

"Come now, Enzo. That couldn't possibly be true. Not in a place such as this where there's nothing to do."

"I'm not so sure that's a bad thing. Why is it you want to get me out of here?"

"Truthfully? I'm down one Captain and I think the organization would benefit from your…skills."

"You are quite an unpleasant woman."

"I believe in your skills. If you accept my offer, you will be made Captain of Squad 12. You'll have total control." Enzo smirked.

"As I stated before, you really are a most unpleasant woman." Elena chuckled.

"I must go, Enzo, but I notified Captain Saltzman of your new status this morning. He'll formally release you tonight," Elena replied as she began to leave with the other Captains.

"Petrova, I always ask you when you come and you always give me the same answer so I'm going to ask again. Are you going to kill _him_?" Enzo asked. As Elena turned back, Damon noticed a cold glint in her eye.

"I leave tonight." Enzo smirked.

"Rip his throat out for me, would ya?" Elena chuckled and joined her fellow captains at the end of the hallway.

"What was that about?" Marcel asked.

"I told you the story about Wes and his organization, but how did you think we found out about it?" Elena asked pointedly.

"Enzo?" Galen murmured, shocked.

"Enzo was the one and only person who was able to escape Wes' organization. I believe he called it Augustine. He experimented on supernaturals and when I say experiment, I mean torture. He would rip apart his subjects and watch as their healing factor pulled them together. He particularly liked vampires."

"I already don't like this guy," Damon grumbled. "Are you sure this deal you've crafted with Enzo is even legal?"

"Cool your jets. I got permission from the Noble Chambers. He's already been instated. I just had to ask him."

"You instated someone before even asking them?"

"I knew he'd say yes."

"Typical," Damon sighed.

"What was he doing that was deemed to be so dangerous he was put in his own cell?" Galen asked.

"After his return from Augustine, a vampire that had been deemed 'average' was suddenly a genius. The Chambers and I theorized that his intellect was increased as a side effect of his torture at the hands of Wes. The Chambers decided to make use of him and consulted him for various projects. As a result, he conducted one too many disastrous experiments. He's the perfect guy to run the R&D Center that Squad 12 is notorious for. Don't worry. He'll be under the strict supervision of my former Lieutenant, Hayley Marshall. It'll be fine. That girl's tough as nails." They then left the prison and retrieved their weapons from the guards. "Damon, Marcel, why don't you retrieve your Lieutenants and meet me at the Kimon Gate?" The two Captains nodded and flashed away. "Galen, would you like to tell Rebekah where you'll be for the rest of the day?"

"Good idea. I'll meet you at the Kimon Gate." Elena paused for a few moments.

"How long are you going to stand there and watch, Niklaus?" Extending her hand, she gripped at thin air before stripping away a barrier Klaus had been hiding behind.

"I'm impressed. How long have you been aware of me?"

"From the time you were in your mother's womb," Elena replied darkly as she began to walk away.

"Head Captain?"

"What?"

"You truly are a frightening woman."

"Back to your post." Klaus then flashed away. Elena pondered what the man could possibly be up to that he had resorted to spying on her.

Within the hour, Elena arrived at the Kimon Gate, a trans-dimensional gate similar to the gate used to travel between The Dark Dimension and The Dark City. Stefan, Galen, Damon, Thierry, and Marcel had all beat her there.

"Let's be on our way." Elena removed a satchel filled with a black powder from her coat and arranged the powder in a circle. "Heart of the south, eye of the north, finger of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain. Binding Art, Summoning of the Tracking Sparrows. Track Wes Maxfield's mana and show me his location." The circle Elena drew then glowed blue. Various numbers appeared within the circle until a specific set was found. "Hmm. He's in North Charleston. I always did like the waters there." The Kimon Gate then opened, having synchronized to the coordinates Elena's spell had provided. When they passed through the gate, they stood in the air above Charleston as if they were on dry land. Such levitation abilities were common for any Hunter worth their salt. "Secure a five-block radius with a defensive barrier. We don't need any unwanted interference."

"How do you know he's here?" Stefan asked.

"He's here. I can feel it." As Elena descended to the cement of a park, the other Captains and Lieutenants dispersed to secure the area. When Elena's feet met the pavement, she sat down Indian-style and meditated. Suddenly, she heard the street lights flicker in the darkness and smirked. "I knew you'd come."

"How could I resist such an obvious trap? I felt your mana all across town." Elena rose and came face to face with Wes.

"It has been a long time, Maxfield," said Elena as she noticed Wes carried a sword similar to hers. He had developed a Demon Blade. Interesting.

"Over five hundred years."

"You look good for an old man," said Elena, knowing her power had sustained his youth.

"I thought you were dead."

"You truly are a fool. Wes, what you stole was only the top layer of my power. The power of an Imperial Hunter is something that surges up from within. There is no way in the world someone like you could steal it all."

"Have you come for revenge?"

"No. I have come to restore balance. Individuals such as you shouldn't exist in this world."

"I have stolen the power of hundreds of Hunters who have come here. And you think you're going to defeat me! Alone!"

"Idiot," Stefan spat. "Elena isn't alone!" Stefan, Damon, Galen, Marcel, and Thierry then arrived in the sky.

"More Hunters. You brought me a buffet."

"None of you shall interfere in this fight. Am I understood?" Elena asked as she slowly drew her two swords.

"Yes, Head Captain," they replied.

"Ooh. _Head_ Captain? Your power must be even more delicious now," Wes smirked.

"Shut up, you pig," Elena growled. With the flick of her wrists, Elena swung her swords rapidly in a circle. "Let heaven crash down, Fenrir." She slammed the butt of her swords together and as the wind howled, the blades sparked. A plume of blue smoke emerged from the handles and covered the entire length before dissipating and revealing a lightning-shaped glaive. She swung the glaive and a large blast of pressure hit Wes. Wes pulled out his own sword and cut through the pressure.

"That's it? That's not enough! You can't kill me with this." Elena then flashed behind him.

"You idiot. That wasn't an attack. That was the pressure of the Archikos Seal releasing." An intense white aura surrounded Elena, causing her hair to float.

"What is this aura?"

"Lightning Fang." Lightning magnified by her mana was released from the tip of the glaive and sliced through the clouds, revealing the bright moon. Wes was speechless at the overwhelming power as a building behind him was sliced neatly in two. He had never seen Elena demonstrate this kind of power. "Sorry. I missed. Next time, I won't."


	4. This Time It's Different

Wes saw the deadly look in her eyes. She was really going to kill him.

_I must retreat,_ Wes thought as he jumped up into the air, attempting to run away. _I need to regroup._ Suddenly, Elena appeared in front of him.

"Now where do you think you're going?" She flicked his forehead with her finger and with astonishing speed and power he was cast to the forest below them.

"Ouch. That's gotta hurt," Thierry murmured, seeing the impact. Elena jumped down onto the ground, creating a large crater, and the two enemies exchanged blows, chopping trees down in the process. Their blades met which such force that it thrust them up into the air.

_Her physical abilities are even more powerful, _Wes thought.

"Mystical Art, # 4. Crawling Rope." A crackling yellow energy rope emerged from Elena's glaive and wound around Wes' arms and body, immobilizing him. Elena whipped Wes into the ground before making her Royal Guard nickname as the Great Weave Guard known. "Oh, lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, you who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Mystical Art, # 31. Red Flame Cannon." An orb of crimson flame energy then crashed to the ground over Wes. An expert in Mystical Arts, Elena had gained the moniker Great Weave Guard due to her ability to seamlessly weave multiple Mystical Arts spells together.

"Haven't had enough, huh?" Elena asked as she noticed Wes jump into the air to confront her once more with an attack filled with his green mana. Elena easily cut through it and Wes was shocked as he saw her blade glow blue and howl. Ribbons of blue and white mana enhanced lightning were emitted from the blade. "Lightning Fang!"

"It will take more than that to kill me!" Wes yelled as he tried to cut through the attack, but his fight was useless as the energy consumed him.

"Well, that was fast. I think that's a new record for you," said Damon as he and the rest of the Hunters joined Elena. Suddenly, a pillar of purple and green light emerged from the ground behind them.

"What?" Elena asked. "Impossible. That was a point blank attack. He shouldn't even be standing." The energy dissipated and revealed Wes whose small blade had transformed into a broadsword.

"Why thank you, Elena. If I didn't have your power, I would probably be dead now!" Wes laughed.

"Damn. You truly are an annoyance. Damon, I may have to release the Telikos Seal."

"You can't. Not in the human world."

"I may not be given much of a choice. If I have to release it, take cover. Fenrir's a real bitch when I wake her up."

Suddenly, Wes' comrades entered the battlefield.

"Oh my! I knew it!" Tobias proclaimed.

"That is mean of you! Why do you get Elena's power all for yourself? You promised that you would share it with us!" said Nate.

"Shut up. No need to tell me. Of course I'll give you some of Elena's power." A white surge of light came over Wes' friends and they released their newfound powers.

"This wonderful feeling. It's as though youth is gushing out from my body! Here we come. Feel with your own body the wonderful power you've given us," said Tobias.

"Look at him getting carried away," said Thierry as he placed his hand on his sword.

"No," Elena ordered. "It's due to my own mana that their powers increased. Leave it to me. Observe and make sure the barrier stays in place." Elena floated to the ground and lightning struck them all down. "I went easy on you. You shouldn't be dead." Elena then noticed the bodies around her digitally disappearing.

"Shouldn't be dead, you say? You're such a joke!" said Nate. Elena growled. They had been illusions. "It wasn't a 'you have defeated the enemy!' It was a 'they evaded your attack!' Thanks to you I was able to expand the area of incursion of my Invaders Must Die beyond the screen of the video game."

"Marriage has made you soft, Elena," said Thierry as he stabbed Nate through the chest. "At this point, don't go trying to end a fight by striking with the back of your blade. Kill him completely otherwise this battle is meaningless." A digital spear tried to hit Thierry, but Galen shattered it with a swing of his sword. The Nate Thierry "killed" then disappeared, the real one appearing near his friends.

"Stay focused, Vanchure," Galen scolded.

"Sorry."

"Not bad. Shall I give you an extra bonus?" Nate asked Galen.

"Don't bother." Joshua then attacked Thierry, but he dodged it. Thierry was shocked to see that the kid was able to create a huge crater with just his fist.

"What the hell are you?" The remaining Hunters jumped down onto the ground, each facing a member of Wes' ragtag group.

"Looks like they spread out just right. I'll assign rooms," said Nate as he touched a few buttons on his gauntlet console. Separate dimensions formed around each of the pairs of combatants.

"Wait, Damon! That one looks stronger. Switch with me!" said Marcel before the dimensional transfer was complete. "Damn."

"Switch because he looks stronger? I can't let that go. In other words, I look weak to you?" Tobias asked as Marcel noticed their current environment was an arena.

"Shut up. It's boring to kill small fry."

"You appear to be a muscle-bound idiot. People like you need to be crushed by force." A small button emerged from Tobias' chest and he turned it. In an instant, the man turned into a hulking goliath, but Marcel's impassive face didn't change one bit. "What do you think? My Time Tells No Lies is also capable of something like this! The simpler the terms of my contract with the Gods of Time, the more powerful it's manifested! My contract right now is an exceedingly simple increase in power!" With a simple swing of his sword, Marcel cut the man in two. "Impossible."

"See? Boring." The dimension then faded away, pulling Marcel back into the forest. "Nobody's out yet? Taking their sweet time. As usual. How boring."

In a dimension that appeared to resemble an R & D laboratory, Galen was trying to avoid two missiles heading straight for him.

_I don't get how this works but it looks like I'm locked up here thanks to that guy's mysterious powers, _he thought. Tired of running, he cut the missiles in two with his blade and they self-destructed. Galen noticed a door close and ice left the tip of his blade to freeze the door over. A hologram of Nate then appeared in front of Galen.

"What are you aiming at? Are you looking for me properly? Or can you not power up properly if you don't hear something like, 'or the girl dies'?" he asked.

"I guess I got stuck with an annoying one."

Meanwhile, in his dimension, Damon was in a forest that appeared to resemble the one in the human world. However, a red moon cast an eerie glow over the sky.

"What's wrong? Are you sure you have time to admire the moon?" asked Damon's opponent. Derek, Damon remembered. He briefly glanced at Derek before turning his gaze to the moon once more.

"It's fortunate that I am your opponent."

"Why?"

"My Elena, though her soul is burning with anger toward Wes, probably wouldn't be able to fight you for the sole purpose of killing you."

"So what you're saying is that you won't let me cut you even once?" Derek attempted to cut Damon in the neck, but his blade had separated into a thousand tiny, slender blade fragments. Reflecting the light, they resembled red feathers. Derek noticed the feathers had protected Damon from his attack.

"I saw your dossier. I hate your fighting style. Your power allows you to insert yourself into the enemy's past with just one cut, giving you a strategic advantage. You don't do anything yourself. You torment your enemies by stealing their bonds. It's vile. It's a shame deserving death. Come. I'll kill you before you can even swing your sword." A mass of Damon's feathers then attacked Derek.

In another dimension, Thierry was dodging Joshua's ridiculously strong punches.

"You punk! Don't you be running away!" Joshua yelled as Thierry jumped into the sky.

_Strange. There's no way his punch was that strong. He shouldn't even be able to snap a wooden sword with that. But that brat…he's been felling trees with a single blow! What's his game? Is this stage somehow rigged to working in his favor?_

Suddenly, Joshua jumped up behind Thierry and hit him in the left shoulder. The force of the blow eradicated the left sleeve of Thierry's shirt.

"There goes your shoulder. Looks like luck wasn't on your side!" Through sheer force of will, Thierry used his muscles to snap the bone back in place. _He set a dislocated shoulder with just his muscles! He's a monster!_

"What's wrong? You scared of something?" Thierry asked as he stretched his arm.

"Scared? You wish!"

Meanwhile, Stefan was taking in his surroundings in his dimension. Pouring rain dropped on jagged rocks as he stood in front of Chloe.

"You're not gonna attack me?" Chloe asked.

"Like I'd attack a woman first," said Stefan, crossing his arms.

"My, what a gentleman. But maybe your world's a bit small? Have you ever met a woman stronger than you?"

"Do you know my sister-in-law? She's a beast. Besides, it doesn't matter if you're stronger or weaker. I won't attack first."

"Really? Then it's not your world that's small, but your understanding of it."

"What's that motorcycle engine doing on you?" Stefan asked, noticing the exhaust pipe attached to her shoulder. "Do you get more powerful when it revs or something?"

"This? I'm surprised Imperial Hunters know what bikes are."

"Lieutenant Vanchure brought one over from the Human World a while ago. Made a ruckus in The Celestial Court and got his ass whipped by the boss lady." Chloe raised a brow. "Like I said, my sister-in-law's a beast. So? What's it there for?"

"You're not going to attack? Then at least shut up and watch me. I'd recommend drawing your sword though. If you don't want to regret your pitifully small understanding." The engine revved, expelling oil and grime on Chloe's white clothes. "My Dirty Boots become stronger the dirtier they become but the boots are only a part of it. All of the filth that covers my body becomes part of my power. You should draw your sword." To demonstrate her power, Chloe stomped on the ground. The resulting shockwave created a massive wave and destroyed the tall rocks behind her. Taking advantage of Stefan's distraction with the wave, Chloe appeared behind him, moving in to kick him. Despite her enhanced abilities, Stefan managed to avoid her attack. Moving in front of him, she kicked him in the chest. However, her attack did not have the intended distance. It only knocked him away a few feet.

_Impossible. There's no way that's all I could move him with my attack,_ Chloe thought.

"All right. I've seen enough. Hit me with your best shot. Come on."

"I said that's the sort of attitude you're going to regret!" She moved in to attack him again, targeting the left side of his head, but Stefan easily blocked her attack with his fist, shocking her, as the free standing rock face behind him was swept away. The Hunter Lieutenant then went on the offensive. Partially drawing his Demon Blade, he drove the hilt of the weapon into her gut, knocking the wind out of her.

"These past months, I've been training to be able to fight my brother. It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman. You lot just don't cut it. Jeez. I thought I could get out if I defeated her, but I can't see anything like a door anywhere."

"It's probably because I'm still alive," Chloe groaned from the ground.

"You're one tough woman."

"I'm conscious but I won't be able to move for awhile. You should finish me off now."

"Shut up. Who said that I can't get out unless I kill you? Use your head. I'm sure there are other ways to escape." Stefan then noticed the sky appeared to be moving in strange directions. "The sky is folding up?"

"Shit. Nate must be watching us. He probably reckoned that I couldn't win against you so he's decided to wipe us out along with the dimension! Hurry up and kill me! Nate is really proud! If the mana of one of us disappears, he'll consider the match over and this place will probably vanish automatically! Kill me!"

"Can't do that."

"Why!"

"A man who lays a hand on a woman is scum. Living as scum is the same as being dead. We're getting out of here by force."

"That's the logic of a child. I thought I had become cynical enough that that sort of thing didn't sting me anymore." Chloe then let her own power consume her. In Nate's dimension, the games master was overseeing Chloe's fight.

"Aww. She died. Dying to save the enemy. How touching. Though, I'm not sure if the enemy survived that." Suddenly, the door to Nate's room burst open, revealing Galen. "Ah. Welcome. So you were finally able to get here. I was starting to think you'd never find me. Were you able to power up because of all the traps I left around? You don't look tired in the least."

"You sure like to talk a lot." Galen sent a stream of ice from his blade toward Nate, which caused an explosion. The human used his abilities to form a green shield around himself, leaving him relatively unscathed.

"You sure are rough. What if I'd hidden a bomb in the next room? Both you and I would be blown away."

"Didn't you notice? My Triton is a sword of ice. I would've frozen the explosion."

"An ice sword. Cool."

"I'm not here to chat with you, boy."

"Me neither." Nate used his power to repair the broken door and wall.

"You're able to make the crumbled wall and room disappear? That's a useful power."

"Didn't you notice? This whole place is my power. In this dimension, I'm god."

"I see."

"Gods can do anything. For example, something like this." Using his gauntlet, Nate created a huge monster.

"You truly are a god," Galen mocked. "Impressive."

"Why do you keep making fun of me!" The monster moved to attack Galen, but Galen flashed away. "Don't just dodge it! Are you scared?"

"Then don't let me dodge it. Are you holding back?"

"Of course I am! Do you want to see what happens when I go all out!" Nate created multiple monsters behind Galen, surprising the seasoned Captain. "You can't escape! Even if you leave the room, all the other rooms and walls and ceilings and floors are my power! They're set up to chase you wherever you go and crush you. Come on. Attack! I'll kill you!" Galen easily avoided Nate's attacks, using his superior speed. "Someone like you can't win against me! Captains are just elites that grew up pampered in a warm home."

"I see. You're an abandoned child."

"No! I wasn't abandoned! I abandoned my stupid parents! I made that choice! You have no right to criticize me! I transferred all of my father's money to me and destroyed his company! Children can develop amazing abilities if you neglect them. They were idiots for not realizing it! When I heard on the news that he committed suicide, I felt so…" Suddenly, Galen appeared behind him.

"You got lost in your tale from the past and forgot to concentrate." Galen shoved Nate backwards so that he stumbled onto a trail of ice he had previously left. Instantaneously, Nate's lower body was frozen along with the console on his arm. Galen then flashed behind the boy. "What happened? What about those things set up to find me and destroy me? Are you sure you don't want to cancel that order?" Just as the monsters' hands reached out to crush them both, Galen swung his Demon Blade, immediately freezing and shattering the creatures before they could complete their attack, proving that he did not need to evade their attacks in the first place.

"You're saving me in the end? You're pitying…" Galen mercilessly pressed his blade against Nate's face.

"It's not pity. I have no interest in your past and even if I kill you, it doesn't mean that this or the other dimensions will disappear so how about I make you a deal? I won't freeze your head and arm. If you make this dimension vanish within five minutes, I'll spare your life.


	5. Beast

Trees continued to fall in Josh's dimension as Thierry observed the feisty kid from above.

"Whatcha doing! Get down! You can't just fly. That's unfair. I never heard about Hunters flying!" Josh yelled.

"I'm not flying. I'm just standing." Thierry decided not to explain further that when Hunters levitate, they stand on mana particles, atomic components that make up everything in all dimensions. The process made it appear as though they were flying.

"What does that mean?" Sighing, Thierry jumped down onto the ground floor.

"It'd be unsatisfying if I beat you without knowing what you can do, so I thought I'd try to understand your ability first. But I quit. It's too annoying. So do you want me to spank you like a brat or to beat you like a man? Choose."

"Of course. That's easy. I'll beat you to a pulp like a man!"

"Well said." They charged at each other, Thierry's sword at the ready. Josh punched the blade and it snapped in two. Josh then struck Thierry's face, which he attempted to block with his hand, but was sent flying backwards with a bloodied nose and injured hand.

_The pinkie tendon snapped. That'll heal. But he smashed my Hephaestus,_ Thierry thought.

"Nice defense. If I hit your head, you'd be dead by now."

"Yeah. I'm lucky."

"Are you dumb? You're not lucky. Your sword just broke in half! I am lucky. Come on! I'll steal all your luck and send you bankrupt!"

"I see your luck allows you to break things. I guess weapons are useless then." Thierry dropped his sword. "Wanna try to fight me with your bare fists!"

"Let's go!" They exchanged a deluge of punches. _No way. What's with this guy? Isn't it working? I'm definitely hitting him. Even though I'm not breaking his bones, I should still be leaving fractures. So why is he punching me as if nothing's wrong? It's like the odds of hitting the jackpot are getting lower. The Jackpot Knuckle allows me to make a big hit on the first stroke. I've never needed to use it so much so I had no idea this would happen. Could it be that the more I use it, the more my luck decreases?_

"Seems like it stopped working. Tired already?" Thierry smirked. "Because I can do this all day."

"I'm not tired!" Thierry then punched Josh in the head, causing him to fall to the ground dizzily.

"Your punches were incredibly powerful, but even when you were lucky enough to hit my vital spots, the injuries caused were shallow. This was a bad matchup. If you were up against a doppelganger, witch, or shifter, they would've been toast, but we vampires heal quickly. You would've needed something with a lot of mana energy to take me down." As Thierry started to walk away, Josh grabbed his pant leg. "It seems like you've got guts."

"Wait. I haven't lost yet."

"Give up, you idiot. This stupid fight is nothing worth dying for." Thierry kicked his hand away.

"It's not a stupid fight! I've already decided to throw away my life for Derek."

"Is this Derek guy worth putting your life at stake?"

"Of course. He's strong! I'm willing to die for him!"

"I'm not asking you if you're willing to die. I'm asking you whether that guy would be willing to die for you!"

"That's beside the point! Even if he doesn't die, I can still die for him!"

"IDIOT! There are no superior or inferior lives! People should risk their lives equally! Whether it's your boss or subordinate only risk your life for someone who would risk it for you! Throwing your life away so easily is something a kid would do! If you're ready to die, will your boss risk his life to avenge you? If you're still determined to risk your life, then go ahead and attack me. I'll crush you with my full power so that you have no regrets." Josh sighed in defeat.

In the red moon dimension, both Damon and Derek continued to stare down one another, both reluctant to engage the other directly.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked. "You will not be able to cut me from there."

"The fact that you're standing there means that if I step closer, I'll enter your range. I need to think of another plan."

"I see. You are cautious." Derek then swung his blade and accurately sliced a leaf floating lightly in the air.

"Did this look meaningful to you?" He then dragged his sword across the ground. "And this?"

"Don't you understand? You're not only unable to cut me. You can't even get close to me." Suddenly, the ground from beneath Damon broke apart and some of it elevated into tower like structures. The captain leapt backwards, dodging one of the towers just in time. "What is this?"

"I set that up."

"When?"

"In the past."

"Are you saying that you've been here other times?"

"You know my power, don't you? My power, Book of the End, allows me to insert myself in the past of the ones I cut. I made it so that I've already been here in the past."

"Does your power work with inorganic matter as well?"

"Well, I don't remember saying that it doesn't." Derek cut one of Damon's small blades as it moved to strike him, surprising Damon. "And now I inserted myself in your sword's past. Your blade won't be able to hit me again. Your sword and your techniques I've already seen them over and over so many times they bore me." This momentarily stunned the captain enough to allow for Derek to swiftly slash Damon's chest. Damon swung to counter, but the human nimbly avoided the attack, landing a safe distance away. "A moment's hesitation decided your fate. Seeing my movements you instantly thought can it be that this man knows Attila's safe zone? To protect its user from its special attack form, Attila possesses a range where the blade doesn't cut. That range is a radius of 85 centimeters around the user. In other words, if you enter that area the blade will not wound you. It is probably the only weakness of Attila's invulnerable offensive and defensive capabilities. When fighting against your Attila, one must advance, not retreat. But without that knowledge, taking that action is psychologically near impossible. That is why you haven't revealed this to anyone except for a few people close to you."

"So you are saying that you were able to see through this weak point after fighting Attila over and over? It's weird though. Who told you the name safe zone?"

"You did. You haven't forgotten, have you? I just cut you. Now come get me, Damon. None of the techniques you've developed will work on me because I was the one who helped you develop them." Damon attacked him and his blade snapped.

"Your sword snapped. You made a wise decision to undo your Archikos after I exploited your zero damage area and your skill with the blade's gone up too. But it looks like you'll have to keep using your Archikos now that it's broken." Damon picked up the broken blade. "What's wrong? Can't use Archikos if it's broken?" Damon then dropped his sword straight down.

"Rise from the ashes, Attila." The sword phased into the ground as though it were a pool of water. Energy ripples expanded out. Hot steam blasted out of the pool, enveloping the area into darkness. A large screech resounded and a huge gold and red phoenix emerged from the pool. Derek looked on impassively as he noticed gold wings had sprouted from Damon's back. As Attila screeched, two rows of a thousand giant blades rose up from the ground.

"Straight at me with your Telikos, huh?" Derek asked as both Damon and Attila's wings flapped. "I've already told you. I've seen it so many times even your Telikos is boring." Attila's thousand blades scattered and flew to pierce Derek. "As long as I get inside the safe zone, your blade is powerless." Derek flashed close to Damon, attempting to attack, but the blades protected Damon, drawing closer to his bodies. _Blade feathers inside the zone?_

"You spoke too soon." Derek jumped out of the zone as Attila let out a chuckling caw. "The fact that you've discovered my safe zone merely means that I know exactly where you will attack from. If I let Attila's feathers enter the safe zone, I can easily kill you."

"That's strange. I don't remember you doing such training."

"If I've trained it, then it doesn't affect you, no?"

"Oh. A desperate tactic then. Don't make me laugh. You think something like that can hurt me?" Knowing Derek was distracted with his boasting, Damon flashed in front of him and with a few feathers in his hand, Damon severely wounded Derek, punching a hole through his chest. "To think you of all people could fight like this."

"Battle is something to prepare for and wage at peak condition, or so I thought. However, today for the first time I have experienced the joy of standing knee-deep in the fleeting moments of insanity during battle. Thank you. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a fight."

"How cruel you are. Do you feel no pain doing this to me?"

"You are an enemy of my wife, the Queen of The Imperial Squads. Whoever is her enemy is my enemy. I feel no remorse in cutting you down."

Meanwhile, outside of the pocket dimensions Thierry joined his captain, having finally broken free.

"Looks like you finally got out," said Marcel.

"Captain! You got out pretty quick," Thierry replied.

"No shit. You're just slow." Stefan arrived as well, followed by Galen and his prisoner, Nate. "Stefan."

"What a mess! You're a fucking shame!" Thierry scolded.

"Sorry. I got out of the dimension after that explosion, but I couldn't move for a while."

"Yeah? So that huge blast was your doing? You at least beat your enemy, right?" Marcel asked.

"She's dead. Probably."

"How'd you do?" Marcel turned to Thierry.

"Er. Well…I uh lectured him for a bit and then he went somewhere."

"A fucking lecture! That's why you took so long, goddammit! You fucking slacker!"

"We get out and the first thing you idiots do is fight?" Galen sighed.

"Butt out. This is none of your business," Marcel growled.

"You're right. I apologize. Get it out of your system."

"What happened to our deal? You said you'd let me go if I undid my ability!" Nate whined.

"After we make sure everyone's been freed. I don't see Salvatore." Damon then arrived, his sword back in its sealed state.

"Come on. I've done enough. Get me out of this ice!" Nate protested.

"Not yet." Galen nodded to Damon who was looking up pensively at the last remaining dimension. He knew Elena was there. He could feel it through their shared blood.

"Oh. Can't undo that one." Galen pointed his blade at him. "What! I'm not lying! When we joined up with Wes, we traded some of our powers as a sign of loyalty and placed a specific restriction on that power. As long as Wes is within my ability's range dispelling it is impossible without Wes' explicit order. And it can't be destroyed from the inside." Suddenly, Damon felt a surge in Elena's blood. His eyes widened in realization as a large crack formed on the dimension.

"Take cover!" The dimension then began to crumble, Elena's mana blasting out from the crack. The Hunters ducked to avoid the fallout of the Head Captain's powerful mana. Damon looked up to see Elena's eyes glowing gold and her hair floating.

"Shit. She's going to release Fenrir. Keep your head down!"

"'Release your Telikos. The only way you'll defeat me is with your Telikos.' You are such an annoyance! Fine. If you want to see my Telikos, I will show you, but it will be the last thing you ever see! Awaken, Fenrir!" Elena's glaive then began to spark and quiver. Several lightning bolts struck the ground around Elena as the eerie howling of a wolf whipped around the trees. Elena's glaive then began to melt onto her body and form a long white wolf fur which trailed to the ground. A black chain spiraled up the length of her sleeveless arm.

"That's it? You plan to kill me with a wolf pelt?"

"Shut up. Your voice irritates me. And now you've forced my hand."

"Who dares to awaken me from my slumber!" a feminine voice growled from the forest.

"Not to mention, you forced me to wake her up. Hello, Fenrir." A massive white wolf emerged from the forest. Gold ornamentation clung to the wolf's face and long white mane while silver shackles embraced the wolf's front feet.

"I am Fenrir, Goddess of the Wolves, I demand an answer!"

"Oh, put a lid on it, would ya?" Elena called. "You know I'm the only one who can wake you up so stop your griping. You're such a drama queen."

"That's Fenrir?" Thierry asked, nervously.

"Yeah. Elena is the only Hunter throughout The Dark Dimension who has been able to harness the power of a spirit god. Her power truly has no equal," Damon replied. "Fenrir will crush him."

"You bring me to this despicable world to deal with a human?" Fenrir growled. "Well, it is close to dinner. I will consume you whole, tiny human!"

"You forget that inside me is the power of a demon," Wes countered.

"Is that so? Then I'll filet you just like I do demons," Fenrir replied. "Come, Elena. Let's finish this." Elena jumped up onto the top of Fenrir's head.

"Icy Lightning Burial!" Fenrir called as the fur on her body stood up. Several hairs left her body and cold lightning struck toward Wes. He managed to dodge, but just barely. The destructive power of Fenrir was unbelievable as half the forest had been frozen over with just one attack. Wes then launched a powerful blast of mana energy from his blade. Fenrir swallowed the blast.

"Disgusting half-breed," Fenrir roared. "I will kill you in one strike! Elena!"

"This is the end, Wes. Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Art of Binding, #61. Six Rod Prison." Pointing her index finger at Wes, Elena generated a spark of yellow energy which summoned six thin, wide beams of light. They slammed into Wes' midsection, holding him in place. Unable to move, Wes was helpless to Fenrir's next attack.

"Plasma Fire!" A large orb of purple energy was blasted from Fenrir's mouth toward Wes and completely incinerated him. "What a miserable human. Am I done here? This world's air is disgusting." Elena jumped down from Fenrir and the giant wolf kneeled down to Elena's level.

"Yes, you did well, old friend," Elena replied as she patted Fenrir's muzzle. "Give your pups, my regards."

"Miserable brats," Fenrir cursed before howling and jumping into the air. She appeared to fly into the moon before completely disappearing. Elena walked toward the remnants of Wes' charred body.

"Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust." She looked at him with an impassive face before throwing her white fur over his body. The Kimon Gate then opened and Elena walked toward it. "Let's go home, gentleman. I tire of this world." What Elena didn't know as she returned to The Dark Dimension with her compatriots was that a secret rebellion was beginning and it would be a betrayal that would cut deep. The game of beasts was just beginning.


	6. See Through

"These orders are unnecessary!" Elena proclaimed from her seat in the underground assembly hall of the Noble Chambers.

"Unnecessary, you say?" asked a Mikaelson noble. "Lieutenant of Squad 13, Amara Petrova, has stayed in the Human World past her time limit. That is one crime against her. Now, we hear rumors that she has given her mana power to a human. A very serious violation of Hunter law."

"May I remind the chambers that that is an unsubstantiated rumor?"

"We have proof. We sent a Guardian and he returned with damaging evidence that she gave her mana to this Tyler Lockwood fellow. This must be dealt with swiftly. Now we all know what happened with you." Elena glared at the noble. Such impudence. "Amara may be your twin sister, but that does not mean we will show lenience. The orders stand and you shall carry them out. We have gone to the Dark King with this."

"You went above my head!"

"If necessary. It has been decided that an example will be made out of Amara. The Dark King and the Noble Chambers order you, Head Captain of the Imperial Hunter Squads, to send a team to retrieve Amara Petrova by any means necessary so she may be executed and to eliminate Tyler Lockwood. This session is adjourned."

With a growl, Elena left the Noble Chambers. Those fools. None of this made any sense. Amara knew the mistakes Elena had made and knew how serious it was to give a human Hunter powers. She wouldn't do something so drastic without a reason, but time and time again the Chambers denied her fact-finding mission. All they wanted was action. They wouldn't even listen to her logic. It was so unlike the Chambers. What made even less sense was that it was Amara's last year as a Hunter. It had become a custom among the Royal Family for all members to join the Hunter Squads for 200 years to gain experience and maturity. After the expiration of the time period, they were allowed to return permanently to The Dark City. Only two Petrovas had been unable to return home: Elena and Katerina. Elena had been banned from The Dark City on a more permanent basis due to her history with Wes while Katerina had committed crimes that weren't even spoken of they were so heinous. Among the Hunters of the Celestial Court, her past sins had fallen into the abyss of history, forgotten over time. But the Royal Family…they never forgot…anything. In her anger, Elena slammed her fist against a wall and it crumbled.

"I take it the meeting, didn't go well?" Elena's lieutenant, Bonnie, asked.

"Damn fools. I don't have time for this nonsense. I've got bigger fish to fry. As much as it pains me, send these orders to Damon and Stefan Salvatore of Squad 6. You can send it through Hell Butterfly if you wish." Elena handed Bonnie a piece of paper with orders on it. "I need something else from you, Bonnie."

"What is it?"

"I need to arrange a meeting."

"With the Captains? I'll call one over Hell Butterfly."

"No. This meeting is in regards to a top-secret assignment and I only want to see certain members of the Captain's Council. You will have to deliver the messages in person. It will take you the rest of the day."

"Who would you like me to speak with?"

"Sage, Damon, Alaric, and Enzo. Tell them to meet me in the Celestial Gardens tonight at midnight."

"Captain, you haven't told me what's been bothering you. Is everything all right?"

"No, but it will be. Now go." Bonnie nodded and flashed away. Elena then walked down a set of alleyways. A spark of energy then invisibly sealed the area. "You know, I really don't like it when you try to sneak up on me…Marcel."

"Pardon me, Head Captain, but I had to be sure you weren't being followed or watched," said Marcel, emerging from the shadows.

"Yes. Well, this barrier will take care of that. Our arrangement does require a certain amount of secrecy. Is Niklaus still following me?"

"No. He has tasked me with that responsibility from now on."

"That is convenient…for our purposes."

"Your meeting…what is it about?"

"I think it would be best if you weren't aware of the details. All you need to know is that I'm letting a few people that I completely trust in on my suspicions. I'm not naming names, Marcel, not until I have solid proof."

"So you won't be telling them about me?"

"No. Ever since I first caught you spying on me, you and I have a very particular arrangement. Niklaus wanted you to spy on me for reasons that are still unclear. I could have killed you on sight, but we made a deal. You continue following me, but also spy on Niklaus for me. You do exactly as he says without hesitation. He must not question your loyalty. If he leaves the Dark Dimension, you follow, you obey his every command, until he lets down his guard."

"And then I get to kill him."

"Yes. And then your decades long dream will come true. Has he shown no opening?"

"Not yet, but he will. He grows more confident every day."

"I see. You have yet to tell me, but are there others he's allied himself with?"

"As far as I know Caroline."

"Predictable. She is dating the man. Anyone else?"

"Not that I'm aware of, though there could be others. You should exercise caution in your dealings with the remaining Captains."

"Yes, that would seem to be wise. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend." Elena then broke down her barrier and left the alley. Hours passed and as the aurora passed over The Celestial Court, Elena waited in the mystical gardens just outside the abandoned greenhouses of Thermopylae. Waterfalls and exotic flowers flourished in this place of natural beauty. As the aurora glowed its brightest, Sage, Damon, Alaric, and Enzo arrived. "You're all here. Good."

"What's with the cloak and dagger?" Alaric asked.

"Not here. Inside." All five captains walked up the steps of the abandoned greenhouse and entered, avoiding the vines that protruded haphazardly from inside. When the door closed, Elena rose her hand and the room glowed yellow.

"A triple layer barrier seal? What's going on?" Damon asked.

"Only in the confines of this room with a triple layer barrier lock may we speak of this. It is in regards to the orders you received, Damon."

"Amara." The other captains looked at the two, puzzled.

"Let me explain. Amara Petrova was sent to the human world several months ago on assignment. Her due date for her return to the Dark Dimension was a week ago. Also, there are suspicions that she has given some of her mana power to a human named Tyler Lockwood. The Chambers claims they have evidence of this crime, although, I am not so convinced. The Chambers is forcing my hand. They have sentenced Amara to death. I was told to give orders to retrieve Amara by any means necessary. I gave these orders to Damon and Stefan."

"So? What's the big deal?" Enzo asked.

"The big deal is that there is something much larger going on here. Amara has become a pawn in a scheme that transcends anything I think we've witnessed as Captains."

"A pawn? By who?" Sage asked.

"Niklaus Mikaelson." All the captains were shocked. "I have no evidence to back this accusation. Thus, the nature of our meeting. I believe Niklaus is working with Caroline Forbes and Marcel Gerard. For what ends, I don't know."

"Why aren't we bringing the others in on this?" Alaric asked.

"You four are the only Captain-class Hunters that I trust and I wouldn't dare bring Lieutenants in on this matter, not when I don't have the whole picture."

"I don't understand," said Sage. "You say you trust me, but I openly questioned you in front of the Captains' Council."

"Sage, you questioned whether I should be Head Captain because you want the position. That means your loyalty lies with The Dark Dimension. Thus, I can trust you. I don't know if anyone else is involved in this matter and I don't know if it goes higher up the food chain."

"The Chambers?" Enzo asked.

"Possibly. The representatives of the Mikaelson faction were quite quick to jump the gun regarding Amara."

"But Finn would never…" Sage began.

"I don't want to think like that either, Sage, but I can't take the risk that he could possibly be involved. Before we discuss things any further, I must know that you are with me and that none of you will discuss this unless we are in this place. None of you must show Niklaus, Caroline, or Marcel that you are suspicious of them." The Captains nodded. "Thank you for your support. I have a plan to get to the bottom of this, but it requires a great deal of manipulation. My every move is being scrutinized so I must maintain a certain image."

"The image that you are following the Chambers' orders?" Damon asked.

"And that I'm maintaining order with an iron fist. But first things first. Damon, I want you to fulfill the orders I sent you to the letter. And whatever judgment the Chambers decides to carry out on Amara you make sure it is fulfilled until I give the appropriate signal. When you're in the human world, I'd like you to find the boy, Tyler. See if the rumors are true and immobilize him."

"Enzo, I would like you to go to the human world. When Damon immobilizes Tyler, I'd like you to take him to a safe place. Evaluate him. See if he could be of use." Damon looked at Elena, surprised.

"What's the point of me eliminating Tyler's powers, if you want to see if he has any value?" Damon asked.

"Rumor has it that before the boy met Amara, he had a high amount of mana potential. That means he never needed Amara's power to begin with. He already had it, buried deep down inside him. The power of the Hunter is something that surges from within. Let's see if that's true for Tyler Lockwood. If it is, Enzo, do whatever you can to help the boy." Elena raised her hand and in a flurry of lightning and ice, a black wolf appeared.

"Hey, boss," the wolf spoke.

"This is my familiar and one of Fenrir's pups, Ulrich. He'll accompany you to the human world, Enzo, to test the boy. Sage, if Tyler decides to come to the Dark Dimension, I'd like you to monitor him, make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble. I'd also like you along with Alaric to test the waters with the remaining Captains. See where their loyalties lie. If we find others that support The Dark Dimension, I will let them in on my plan."

"What's the point of messing with this Tyler kid?" Sage asked. "I mean he's just a human."

"With Hunter powers. That could prove to be an excellent distraction. For Niklaus and the Chambers. When I gain enough evidence against Niklaus, we'll strike."

The following morning, Elena accompanied Damon and Stefan to the Kimon Gate.

"I should be back by tonight," said Damon as Stefan activated the gate.

"Remember what we discussed. If you can't capture her…then kill her. And make sure to take care of the human." Damon nodded at the coded message. Elena then watched as the Hunters left, hoping that everything went according to her plan.

When Damon and Stefan arrived in the human world, night had fallen.

"Rear conformity, 113," said Stefan, looking through a pair of binoculars, as the two narrowed in on Amara's current position. "It's her mana signature. Looks like we found you, Amara Petrova." They observed Amara run down a street, lost in her thoughts.

"I'm becoming too attached to this world," she whispered.

"So you knew after all! Looks like you finally get it!" Stefan yelled from the top of a telephone pole as he drew his blade. Damon closely observed his brother, allowing him to have his fun. He'd reign in the younger Salvatore if things got too out of hand. "I'm very impressed. By skulking around in this world, you actually managed to prolong what little life you have left, Amara."

"Stefan. What in the world are you doing here?" Stefan jumped down from the pole, launching an attack from his sealed blade. Artfully, Amara dodged it.

"So you're telling me two Hunters from the Dark Dimension are standing right behind you, but you're so lost in your own thoughts you didn't even notice? You've gone soft, Mara. Call him. The human that stole your powers," said Stefan as he rested the blunt edge of his sword against his shoulder.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a fact that your powers were stolen by a mere human. A human! It's obvious from that human-like expression on your face! You're from the same noble Petrova Clan as Elena. You're a trained and educated Petrova, one of the elite! Am I wrong? You're the great Amara Petrova, gaping like some human. What the hell is the matter with you? Right, brother?" Amara, shocked, turned around to see Damon behind her, his face impassive.

"Damon. It's you, brother."

"Amara." Stefan swung his sword at Amara again, but she dodged.

"Giving your powers to a human is a grave sin for a Hunter," said Stefan. "Elena appointed us as the executioners to kill the human who has your powers. Dealing with this within the family will keep the stench of the scandal away from the Salvatore and Petrova name. It's over. We're taking you in. And then we're going to find the human who stole your powers and kill him. Don't even think about protecting him. You know what just happened. The only reason you dodged my attacks was because I let you dodge them. The next move I make with this blade will be fatal."

Suddenly, a massive force broke the concrete before Stefan. He dodged the blow, leaping back onto the top of a fence.

"Who the hell are you?" Stefan asked the dark-haired, tanned man before him.

"The name's Tyler. I'm the one who's going to beat you."


	7. Death of Me

"Hey, brother. Check out that overgrown demon blade," said Stefan, noticing the large broadsword over Tyler's shoulder.

"That's funny," said Tyler. "I thought it was pretty big compared to Amara's, but up until now there hasn't been anyone else's to compare it to!"

"The size of it reflects a Hunter's mana energy. How did a rookie like him get one that size? It's not possible."

"That idiot," Amara murmured. "Why did he come here?"

"So you're Tyler, the human that stole Amara's powers."

"So what if I am?"

"You're dead!" Tyler guarded himself with his broadsword from Stefan's vicious attacks. "Come on! What's wrong? Is this all there is to you? Is that big sword just for show?"

"Your yapping is really getting annoying. You'll end up biting your tongue like that!" Tyler moved to counterattack, however, Stefan leapt aside and in mid-air, before Tyler even realized it, slashed his shoulder. Tyler kneeled on the ground, pressing his hand to his wound.

"It's over. Very soon you'll be dead and Amara will get her powers back. And then Amara will be executed in The Dark Dimension. Anyway, you're pretty stupid. Amara came out by herself so you wouldn't stop me. You should've just calmly stayed at home. But you had to come play the hero. You came here for nothing. Did you actually believe you could change something by coming? You're not a Hunter. You're a fake. There's no way you could hurt a real Hunter. You couldn't even put a scratch on one of us." Tyler didn't take the insult lying down and swung his blade upwards, leaving a large cut on Stefan's chin.

"Oops. Sorry. My hand slipped. Did I interrupt your speech? Please continue talking. You were saying something about a scratch?"

"You punk." Stefan wiped the blood from his face, revealing to Tyler that the wound had already healed. Tyler was slightly surprised.

"You were too careless, Stefan," Damon lightly scolded.

"Brother, what are you talking about?"

"This one…Tyler Lockwood. I believe I read a report from the Secret Remote Squad about him. He dealt a Great Demon quite the serious blow and forced it back to the Demonic Court." Stefan laughed.

"You've got to be kidding me. Man, the Secret Remote Squad must really be slipping these days without Elena's direction in Squad 12. This kid wounded a Great Demon? Who in their right mind would believe that load of crap?"

"Stefan."

"Just look at him, Damon, and that Demon Blade. It's nothing, but an overgrown piece of junk. He obviously can't control his mana. So tell me, what's the name of that monstrosity?"

"Its name?" Tyler asked, puzzled.

"You didn't even ask, did you?"

"What? Amara? Are you guys telling me you all name your swords?"

"I knew it. You don't even know how to ask your Demon Blade its name. And you really think you can fight me as an equal? Come back in 2,000 years!" Stefan ran his hand across his blade. "Howl, Ignatius." The blade instantly changed into a six-part segmented blade, each segment wider than the one preceding it from the hilt. There were two pick-like protrusions on the front and back of each segment with the ones on the front much longer than the ones on the back. "Now open your eyes. See what lies before you and fall upon your prey! This is the end, you little runt! You have lost to Stefan Salvatore and will die where you stand."

Stefan attacked Tyler again. The segments of his blade stretching, he landed another blow on Tyler's left shoulder. As Stefan pulled his blade back, each of the smaller blades jutting out from his sword slashed the wound even further. The blow was so strong that Tyler's sword fell to the ground. Amara watched Tyler helplessly from the sidelines as Stefan waved his sword to strike again. A stunned Tyler fell to his knees.

"Sorry it's ending this way, kid, but this is what's known as a difference in strength. A demon blade can change size and shape depending on the mana strength of the owner. This is my true strength!"

_Now Tyler knows there's a difference in their strength,_ Amara thought. _It's made him realize he has no chance of winning. And so he's backing down. That was my hope. But Tyler will never give up. I know that. Can you still move, Tyler? If you can move, this is our chance! You're going to get away! I'm counting on you! _"Hurry! Run away!" As Stefan readied himself to attack again, Amara, grabbing Stefan's arm, jumped onto his back, restricting his movements.

"Amara, what the hell are you doing? Let go! Are you trying to make this into a bigger crime? Fool!"

"Run, Tyler! Stand up! Hurry! Get up and run away!" Tyler reached out to grab his demon blade, surprising both Stefan and Amara.

"You still have enough strength to move around?" Stefan threw Amara aside. "Well, that's good. Giving the last blow to somebody who's almost dead is boring. I guess the only thing left for you to do is fight hard and die."

"Tyler, if you can stand up, then run! You have to run!" Amara yelled.

"What's wrong? If you're not gonna attack, then I will!" Getting a huge boost in his mana energy, Tyler charged at Stefan and, jumping, slashed him along his left shoulder. Damon smirked.

_I understand now, Elena. You've made a wise decision. This boy has power. But he needs to earn it_, Damon thought. Surprised by this sudden burst in power, Stefan turned to Tyler, who, with enhanced speed, rushed at him again.

"What the hell?" Stefan cursed. Blocking the attack, Stefan, knocked back by Tyler's blow, was sent flying into the air. _What is with this kid's huge mana surge? Where did he suddenly get this amount of power? _

"What's wrong? Your movements have become a lot slower!" said Tyler.

_Idiot. He's the one that suddenly got faster! _

"I don't know the reason, but I feel great! My wounds don't hurt anymore! I feel totally invincible!"

"Ignatius, time for you to howl!" Stefan swung his extended demon blade at Tyler, who avoided the first two strikes and deflected the third.

_"_Let's end this! I'm going to be the winner! This is the end!" Jumping into the air, Tyler came down on Stefan, swinging his demon blade down towards his head, but, landing on the ground, discovered the blade of his sword had been cut off. _What? The blade disappeared? _Tyler turned to Damon. _That guy? Impossible? He can't do anything that far away!_ As he noticed the severed blade of his demon blade in Damon's hand, Damon, casually dropping it to the ground, slowly raised his hand to the handle of his sheathed demon blade as Tyler readied for an attack. _Is he coming this way? _Damon appeared behind Tyler, who didn't even have a chance to react. Tyler then began to fall to the ground, a wound emerging from his chest. _What's going on? Did I get cut? I can't tell whether he attacked from the back or the front. It hurts. _Appearing beside him, Damon attacked, stabbing through Tyler's back and piercing through the front of his body before quickly sheathing his sword again.

"You're slow. Even when you're falling," Damon murmured.

"Damon!" Amara yelled.

_I haven't seen that in a while,_ Stefan thought._ It's undoubtedly amazing. I barely even saw his second attack coming. But his first one…I couldn't even tell when he drew his sword, let alone when he sheathed it when he was done. One thing's for sure. If I didn't see it coming, I'm positive this kid doesn't have the slightest idea of what's happened to him. But still what the hell was that abnormal behavior just a while ago?_

"Is something wrong, Stefan?" Damon asked.

"No, brother. It's just that there was no point for you, the Captain, to directly attack him. I could've finished him myself."

"Don't be like that, brother. Even I will get rusty if all I do is watch."

_That's not true. You're…_

"Tyler!" When Amara attempted to run to Tyler's side, Stefan, grabbing her by the neck, pushed her up against a pole. "Let go, Stefan!"

"What the hell is wrong with you? That guy's dead! You'd only end up increasing your sins for someone who's died."

"So what? I was the one who dragged him into this! It's my fault he's dead! So why is it so wrong to go to him?"

"In other words, even if your punishment worsens, you still feel you must help him? Is that what you're saying to me, Amara?" Damon asked.

"I am."

"I see. She was right about you after all." Reaching out, Tyler grabbed the bottom of Damon's clothes.

"What do you mean already dead? Don't talk about me without my say in it!" Tyler interrupted.

"Let go," Damon replied, without even looking down at him.

"Can't hear you. Look at me if you wanna say something."

"Really? You won't have that arm for long if you keep this up." Amara, running up, kicked Tyler's hand off of Damon.

"What the hell, Amara?"

"You're a human. How dare you grab my brother-in-law like that! Know your place! Let's go, Damon. After seeing such crude behavior, I've finally come to my senses. Please take me to The Dark Dimension. I humbly accept my sins and my punishment."

"Hey! Wait! What are you talking about, Amara?" Tyler asked. Stefan stepped on his back.

"You don't know when to give up, do you? Stop making things worse and just die quietly."

"There's no point in even killing this being deliberately. Even if you leave him like this, he'll stop breathing on his own. Let's go, brother," said Amara.

"Stop right there, Amara. Is this some kind of joke! Look at me!" Tyler yelled.

"Don't move! Don't even try to move one step from there! If you try to follow me, I'll never forgive you! You're going to die anyway so why not stay put and live a few seconds longer?"

"Very well. I'll leave him be," said Damon. "Those two attacks were vital. His chest and collarbone have been thoroughly injured. He should die within a half hour. Even by chance if he does happen to live not even a speck of the Hunter powers will be left. Stefan."

As Stefan used his blade to open the Kimon Gate, Tyler watched helplessly in the rain as Stefan, Damon, and finally Amara walked through the portal. As the door shut and faded away, Enzo, wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and jacket, along with a hat, approached Tyler.

"I think you were right, Elena. He is quite the interesting fellow," Enzo remarked

The following morning, Tyler woke up to find himself in an unfamiliar house.

_I'm not dead? How is that? Wait a minute. This isn't even my house! Where the hell am I? _Tyler thought.

"You shouldn't move around. Your injury hasn't fully healed. If you keep moving around, you will die," said Enzo, leaning against the wall.

"Who are you?"

"Lorenzo, but my friends call me Enzo."

"So this is your house?"

"Correct."

"You saved me?"

"What's this? Your tone is unexpected. Did you not want me to rescue you?"

"Amara's already back at The Dark Dimension. How can I follow her there? How the hell am I going to rescue her? There's no way!"

"Do you really think that there's no other way to get into the Dark Dimension?"

"What do you know about that?"

"I know lots of things. I also know you need to save your friend, Amara."

"How can I get there? Tell me."

"Of course I'll tell you, but on one condition. Starting now for ten days you will learn how to fight properly with me."

"So you're telling me to train? Do you think I have time for that? You don't know when Amara's going to be executed! I should try to get there as fast as possible."

"You are one exasperating person." Enzo took his demon blade sheath that had been disguised as a cane in the human world and placed it in front of Tyler's face. "The point that I want to make is you will die if you go there in your current condition. Do you think you can win if you fight with them now? I could have intervened, but I purposely let you fight them in order to prove a point. I thought you'd understand results better than words. With your current skill, you won't stand a chance fighting against The Dark Dimension. You are weak. A weakling barging into enemy territory is _suicide_. To rescue Amara? Don't make me laugh. Don't use other people as an excuse to go kill yourself. The Dark Dimension usually allows a grace period that lasts a month before a convict's execution. It will be the same for Amara's case. We will just take ten days to annoy you. It will take seven days to open the door to The Dark Dimension so after you arrive at the Dark Dimension, you will have thirteen days. You will have plenty of time."

"In ten days will I become stronger?"

"Of course. If you truly desire to save Amara. A strong will is stronger than steel. If your determination is anything less than whole-hearted throw it away because you have ten days to prepare for a game of life and death."

"I guess I have no choice!"

"Starting now, every hour, I want you to take this pill. By dinnertime, you'll be pretty much recovered from your injury. We'll start your session at that time. We don't want you to die in the middle of training, now do we?"

A few days later, Stefan stopped by the Squad 6 barracks.

"Good morning, Lieutenant Salvatore," some officers greeted him.

"At ease." He flipped a key around his finger and then opened the entrance to Squad 6's Holding Cells. One of the soldiers was trying to wrangle a Hell Butterfly back into its cage.

"Come back here! I'm going to get in so much trouble if they find out I let you get away. I'll have to lure it back." The officer pulled out a fake butterfly. "Hey there. Come out and check these antennae. I'm a Pisces with double D…" Suddenly, Stefan kicked the officer in the head.

"What the hell do you think you're doing! You still can't handle hell butterflies?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know you were coming in today."

"I had to come in to check on the prisoner. Is she still insubordinate and difficult?"

"I'm not insubordinate," Amara replied from her cell.

"If you're not insubordinate, then why do you refuse to eat?"

"Maybe I'm just not hungry. Does that bother you, Mr. Lieutenant?" Amara mocked.

"What's your problem? Do you have something against me being a Lieutenant! I can hear it in the tone of your voice!"

"Hit a nerve did I? You must have worked pretty hard to move up the food chain in the two months that I was gone. Well, don't worry, Mister Officer. Now you have the pompous attitude to go with your new rank."

"How dare you mock me! I could kill you for an insult like that!"

"Tell me something. Am I really going to die, Stefan?"

"Of course you are, dumbass! They'd probably even give it to you right now and I mean right now!"

"Yeah. You're probably right."

"That was a joke! A joke!"

"What's the truth then, you idiot!"

"An idiot, huh? If I'm the idiot, then how come you're the one locked up in a cell? Damon is on his way to headquarters to give his report right now. I'm sure Head Captain Petrova is most likely trying to appeal for the commutation of your sentence."

"She got the Head Captain position, huh? I doubt she'd plead for clemency on my behalf."

"How can you say such a thing? Elena would never stand by and do nothing while her own sister faces a death sentence."

"You're quite correct about that. She'd rather kill me herself. I know exactly the kind of person she is. Ever since I came to The Celestial Court, not even once has she truly looked at me."


	8. Rebirthing

In the human world, Enzo guided Tyler into an underground training area beneath his safe house.

"Let's hurry up and get this started," said Tyler.

"Be careful what you wish for. Ziegvolk." Enzo tapped Tyler's forehead and the boy's soul was drawn out of his body. The only thing that connected him to his physical body was a thin gray chain known as the Chain of Fate.

"What the hell do you think you're doing all of a sudden?" Tyler then became woozy.

"This is your first time, isn't it? To be separated from your body as a form other than that of a Hunter? It's difficult to breathe and move in such a state. The origin of your mana power and your booster have been destroyed by Damon Salvatore. That is to say, you are merely human without any mana powers whatsoever. In order to fight with a Hunter, your mana power must be restored."

"Just tell me what to do."

"You're such an impatient lad. First, let's learn how to move that spiritual body freely. For starters, mana power is the power that works upon and encourages the spirit. The more your mana power rises, the sharper the movements of your body. In other words, if you can manage to move even better with your spirit form than you can with your physical form, then that means you have made a complete recovery of your mana powers. Well, instead of me standing here explaining it to you, it would be easier if we just started. Hey, Ulrich!" Ulrich, Elena's black wolf familiar, then materialized in front of Tyler.

"Pleased to meet ya, kid," the wolf greeted.

"Fight him," Enzo ordered.

"What!" Tyler yelled. "And why is he talking!"

"Ulrich's a wolf familiar, a wolf spirit. You must fight him. The rules are simple. Once one or the other can no longer move, the session ends. So just be sure to knock him out before he knocks you out."

"Are you crazy? You're telling me to punch a wolf?"

"It's always dangerous to underestimate your opponent, Tyler," said Enzo. Ulrich then ran toward Tyler and when he pounced, there was a large explosion. "See. I told you. I wonder if he's dead?" Tyler then tumbled out of the smoke, running past Ulrich.

"Oh shit! What the hell was that? It's instant death if I get hit by that!" _Wait a second. If I can run and dodge the attack that means I can catch up with his speed. If that's the case, then maybe I can dodge the attacks directly. _Ulrich jumped at Tyler, but he dodged the wolf's strike. Enzo smirked. _I can do it. I only need to hit him lightly. If I can do that, our weight difference would do the rest. I can definitely win this fight!_ Tyler sent a punch Ulrich's way and the force of it scratched the wolf's face. The animal howled in anger and kicked him hard into a bunch of rocks. Enzo caught Tyler as the dust settled.

"Lesson one. Cleared."

"Why? I lost to that dog!" Tyler whined.

"I'm not a dog. I'm a wolf," Ulrich growled.

"I only said knock him out before he knocks you out. I never said anything like knock him out to clear the lesson. Not to mention this wolf's fighting skills are good enough to take on Hunters. No matter how much a mere spirit form struggles against him, there's no way you can win. Do you still have difficulty breathing?"

"Now that you mention it…"

"What about moving in that form? No trouble, right? Since when?"

"Since a while ago."

"Of course. This lesson is a one shot victory. It was to test if you could dodge the first attack or not. That's it. Mana powers are easiest and highest when the soul is in danger of being destroyed. If you were able to raise your mana powers well then you would be able to dodge the punches. Everything turned out perfectly!"

"And if I wasn't able to raise it?"

"You probably would have gotten hit and died."

"You bastard."

"Now, now, everything worked out well, didn't it? In the end, you recovered your mana powers. In celebration of passing the lesson, let's…" A blast of black energy left Ulrich's mouth and severed Tyler's Chain of Fate. "…continue on to lesson two."

"I'm gonna die!"

"You're so noisy."

"Watch it or else I'll give you a reason to be noisy too! Don't you know? The chain that you just cut is the Chain of Fate. If this gets cut, the soul can't get back to the body!"

"Of course I know that. All you have left now is death."

"Do you have to be so casual about it?"

"That's not even the worst of it. The corrosion of the chain has already slowly begun from the severed end. If that reaches all the way to your chest, it'll make a hole in your chest and you'll become a demon. The End. However, do not worry. Even if your Chain of Fate has been severed, there is a way to prevent you from becoming a demon and continue living. Just one way. And that is to become a Hunter. Lesson Two is for you to take your Hunter powers back. When this lesson ends, you will once again wield the powers of the Hunter. Let's get this party started. Shattered Shaft!" A hole then appeared beneath Tyler and he fell down. After a very long drop, Tyler landed on the ground, only to find that his arms were bound behind him.

"Why are my arms…"

"Sorry about that," Ulrich called from above. "While Enzo was busy talking, I put your arms under restraint. It's quite selfish, but until this lesson ends, that's the way it is."

"Tyler, start climbing up the shaft! That's all there is to this lesson."

"That's impossible!" Tyler yelled.

"I wouldn't waste time arguing about it if I were you. The corrosion has already begun. You have at most 72 hours to complete this lesson. In other words, three days! Before the time's up, please transform into a Hunter and climb up this hole or I will have to kill you."

"You want to kill me?"

"If you give up, then that is what I must do." Determined, Tyler ran towards the wall and tried to run up it. His attempt ended in failure as he fell back down to the ground.

"This guy is crazy. He can't climb up a practically straight wall with the way he's doing it," Ulrich murmured.

"Idiot," Enzo agreed.

"Are you hungry?" Ulrich called.

"How can I be hungry? I'm a soul right now! There's no such thing as hungry."

"Good. Let me tell you something. If you feel hungry in the soul state, then that's a dangerous sign. That means you'll soon be a demon." Many hours passed and Tyler still hadn't managed to get himself out of the pit.

"Hey, kid!" Ulrich called. "You've been down here over 70 hours. If it goes well, someone should be a demon by now. Your time is just about up. Oh and I should warn you, the final corrosion it's nothing like the other ones." Suddenly, Tyler's chain completely disintegrated and a white liquid poured out of his mouth and eyes, forming a mask on his face. Ulrich prepared to jump down into the shaft.

"Wait," Enzo warned.

"Captain Sarcosi."

"Watch him closely. Nothing more. Usually when a person is turning into a demon, their soul will explode and then reform. But in his case, the order is very random. His body is still the same. However, it's starting with the mask. He's resisting it. There's still a chance for him to turn into a Hunter. Let's observe for a little longer and see if he's really transforming into a demon."

Suddenly, Tyler shattered his restraints and a massive explosion of mana shot out from the pit. As the dust settled, Ulrich and Enzo laid their eyes on Tyler wearing the uniform of the Hunters and a demon mask over his face.

"Hunter uniform plus a mask. Is he a demon or a Hunter? Which one is it?" Ulrich asked. Tyler then drew his broken sword and slammed the hilt onto the mask, shattering it. "So he didn't transform into a demon." Enzo clapped.

"Congratulations. You have completely changed into a Hunter. Good job. You've passed the second test."

"Shut up." Tyler slammed Enzo in the chin with his blade. "Well, well, well. I bet you weren't expecting me to come back alive were you? I swore to myself that if I made it out of that hole, I would kill you the first chance that I got."

"Your timing is perfect," Enzo smirked. "With your attitude right now we can proceed straight to the third test! And the best part is that the third test has no time limit! If you can use that blade to knock off my hat, it will count as a win." Tyler made a swift uppercut with his blade. Even though Enzo dodged the strike, the power of the blade slightly cut the rim of Enzo's hat. "Not bad considering your demon blade is broken."

"I wouldn't be so smug because I haven't really gotten down to business yet. You don't have to say there's no time limit! I'll only need five minutes to finish you off!"

"Is that so? Then I'll give you five minutes." He drew a sword out of his cane.

Meanwhile in the Dark Dimension, Elena, an impassive look on her face, paid a visit to Stefan and Amara.

"What? Head Captain. You're saying…" Stefan began, unnerved.

"It is as I said. Do I need to repeat myself? Level 1 Criminal Amara Petrova will be executed in twenty-five days. That is the final decision of the Noble Chambers. This is probably our last conversation, Amara. The next time we meet will be at the Central Execution Grounds." Elena then left.

_We are taught never to shed tears. For to shed tears means the body has been defeated by emotion and to us that simple act of crying demonstrates that the existence of emotion is nothing but a burden, _Amara thought.

"You shouldn't be too depressed! Maybe things will be changed completely!" said Stefan.

"It's okay. I'm not depressed."

"Liar! I think you're worried to death! Look at me!"

"The decision of the Noble Chambers. It cannot be changed. Don't worry about it. I knew it would end up like this since the beginning. And now…"

"Amara."

"It's nothing!"

"Huh?"

"Capital punishment. You think those kind of decisions will make me feel bad? You gotta be joking! This only makes me want to runaway from jail! What's with your expression? It seems you're really worried about me."

"Who's worried about you! I'm too lazy to even care! You should be executed as soon as possible!" Angry, Stefan left._ Damn! Escape jail? There's no way! You're sentenced to capital punishment. Capital punishment…is it really okay, Captain Petrova?_

As Elena left Squad 6, she realized two Hunters were following her.

"Captain Petrova is so calm," Marcel mocked. "Your sister is going to die and you're still so cold. No wonder you're the Squad 1 Captain, an example for all Hunters."

"Don't make me laugh. The only Hunters that are afraid of death are you and the Captain of Squad 9," Mikael Mikaelson, Captain of Squad 11 replied.

"Is that so?"

"You two captains came without your lieutenants. What do you want from me?" Elena asked.

"We were just concerned," Marcel replied. "After hearing that your sister will be executed, is the Squad 1 Captain sad and depressed?"

"The affairs of my family are none of your business," Elena replied, angry, but managing to keep her composure.

"Good to know you're not upset," said Mikael. "Criminals can do such damage to a noble family's image."

"Oh? And since when does a brute like you know anything about nobility?"

"I guess you could say I've always been a keen observer. I'd be pleased to offer you my services. Perhaps you'd like me to behead the criminal before the execution."

"I don't think even you, Squad 11 Captain, has the skill required for something like that."

"Why don't you test me then?"

"I don't think you really mean that."

"Try me." In a flash, Marcel tied Mikael up and took him to the rooftop next door.

"Please forgive him, Head Captain," Marcel called out.

"Oi, Marcel! Let me go! Let me kill her! Let me do it!" Mikael yelled.

"I assure you it was not my intention to offend you in any way. Please give my regards to your sister." He then took off with Mikael screaming, "Untie me, damnit! Let me at her!" Elena shook her head and left.

Meanwhile, Enzo had just destroyed a small hill with his sword as Tyler dodged the blow.

"You're pretty good with that kiddie sword," said Tyler.

"Thanks for the compliment. However, I will not go easy on you."

_Hold on. Why am I running?_ Tyler thought._ In order to kill Hunters or demons, you can only use demon blades. That sword came out of his cane. It can't be a demon blade. _Enzo then knocked off the remaining piece of Tyler's demon mask.

"You seem to be relaxed. You thought because I'm not a Hunter, I couldn't have a demon blade. You really are naïve. Scream, Nikola." Enzo's sword took the form of a sleek, medium-sized blade. The hilt's grip bent forward at the end with a crimson tassel dangling from its base. "I assure you this is the real deal. A true demon blade. Every demon blade has its own name and this is her name. Nikola. The Crimson Kitsune. Let us show you." Enzo attacked, completely obliterating a mountain. Enzo then prepared to attack again, but Tyler guarded himself from the blow with the remnants of his blade. "Instead of running away, you use that broken sword to block my sword. I should compliment you. You have a lot of courage. However, Nikola is much too fierce to let a broken stump like that stop her." He cut through the blade like it was butter. Quickly, Tyler ran away

_No way! How could there be something like that! How can it break the demon blade!_

"Didn't I tell you? Your strength is only a little bit greater. Your sword has no concentration of mana energy in it. It has size, but that's all it has. That is why I can break it so easily." Enzo then cut off the guard of Tyler's blade. "Now your sword is completely gone. Do you plan to attack me with nothing but the hilt? I suppose you could still manage to knock my hat off with it. But this time you're going to need a lot more than blind luck or courage. If you still want to fight me with that toy, then I will kill you." Tyler then ran away.

_This is so pathetic. What am I doing? Why am I running away? Is this all the backbone I have? Am I just a coward after all? A complete phony? I'm disgusted with myself. It's so pathetic. Pathetic!_

"Yes, that's you," Tyler heard. He then saw a bluish-black lion in front of him. Two golden braces were clamped to his front legs. The end of its tail had a gold tip. "Why are you running away, Tyler? You still haven't called me yet. Face forward and you should be able to hear it now. The only thing plugging your ears is your own fear. There's only one enemy and one of you so what is there to be afraid of?" Tyler then stopped running. "Abandon your fear. Turn and face him. Don't give an inch. Advance. Never stop. Now shout out my name!"

"Akira!" Blue mana energy swirled around him and Tyler's sword reformed into an oversized Khyber knife. With no proper hilt or guard, Tyler held the blade with a cloth-wrapped tang. As tall as Tyler, the black blade possessed a sliver edge and reflected the light of the room.

"It's about time," said Enzo.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Enzo, but I hope you dodge this because I can't control it yet."

"Scream, Nikola!" Tyler then unleashed a powerful attack on Enzo which knocked his hat off and created a huge crater. A hexagonal-shaped crimson barrier stood in front of Enzo. "That was close. If it wasn't for my Blood Mist Shield, then I would have lost an arm. That wasn't very nice. I do believe you killed my hat. However, I didn't expect just one swing to be this powerful." Enzo turned to see Tyler asleep, exhausted from all the energy he expended. "Tyler, you're one scary kid. You'll serve the Blood Mist Queen's purposes quite well. Lesson Three cleared."

Back in the Dark Dimension, Elena was lying on the floor of her bedroom, looking into the raging fire. Damon opened the sliding door and sighed when he saw his depressed wife on the floor.

"Bonnie told me you took the day off," said Damon as he rested his sword on its rack.

"I needed to clear my head," she whispered, wiping away her tears. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"We can't talk about this here." Damon raised his hand and built a triple layer lock.

"We can now if you wish."

"She hates me. I'm sure of it. You should have seen her face. She was so hoping that I had appealed to the Chambers. I'm a terrible sister."

"No, you're not. You've kept your distance from her to protect her. That's a good thing."

"And look where it's gotten me. Every time I look at her I see a younger version of myself. I see history repeating itself. And I have no idea if this plan is going to work. I'm risking everything. I don't know if I can do it."

"Yes, you can." Damon lied down in front of her.

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do because I know you and you don't have to do it alone. I know why you've been hiding in here. You don't want to show weakness, you don't want to cry, but you don't have to be strong in front of me, Elena. Let it out before it consumes you." Elena hugged him and cried into his shoulder. Damon ran his hand down her back and kissed her shoulder.

"I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you," she whimpered.

"Me either. I'm not going anywhere. Did something happen while I was away with Stefan? You've been acting strange ever since I returned."

"Klaus approached me."

"Is he suspicious?"

"No, as a matter of fact, I found out why he was spying on me. He was trying to learn my patterns. Right after you left, he visited me in my office. He…flirted with me. Asked me if I would be willing to leave The Dark Dimension with him. I shot him down. And then he threatened me. If I ever mentioned it to anyone, he'd kill you."

"I'll kill that bastard."

"Not yet."

"I'm not leaving your side until this mess is over." Elena nodded.

"That's fine with me. I'm tired of being alone."

"You'll never be alone, not ever again." Damon then kissed her.

A week later, Enzo had finished his preparations for the temporary gate that would allow Tyler to travel to The Dark Dimension without the aide of a Hell Butterfly.

"Okay. It's almost done. Please listen carefully, Tyler. Otherwise, you might die before you arrive in The Dark Dimension. This is the door to the Dark Dimension. I will teach you the way to go through this door without dying. The time allowed to go through this gate to the Dark Dimension is only four minutes. Once the time is up, the door will close and you will forever be locked inside the Precipice World, the world between that of the humans and the supernaturals. Plus inside the Precipice World, in order to prevent enemies such as demons from entering The Dark Dimension, it's filled with a current which can stop you from moving forward. Just one foot caught by it and the chance of leaving the Precipice World is almost impossible."

"Just walk forward. Follow me and you can do it," said Ulrich.

"Let's go!" The wolf and new Hunter ran into the portal.

"Don't screw up, kid, or the boss will be mad at me," Enzo smirked. With a snap of his fingers, his human attire changed into that of a Hunter Captain and a Kimon Gate opened. A Hell Butterfly flew out and Enzo departed for The Celestial Court.


	9. Gonna Make It There

A cool breeze filtered through the Salvatore gardens as Elena sat underneath an old oak tree blossoming red leaves. The sound of wind chimes filled the still air with peace. The shuffle of pages directed Elena's attention to Damon who was lying on the ground, his head on his wife's lap. Elena smiled and stroked his hair as he read through his squad reports.

"What?" he asked gruffly.

"Nothing," she returned. "I'm just happy. It's quiet."

"Don't jinx it," Damon smirked.

"Attention, attention. Red alert! Intruders detected in the Western Precincts," an alarm blared. "This is not a drill. Repeat, red alert. Breach detected in Western Precincts."

"I told you not to jinx it," Damon growled as Stefan rushed by.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked.

"Go investigate it and report back," Damon ordered. Stefan quickly flashed away and a small smile graced Elena's lips.

"I believe our guest has arrived. We should go to the Squad 1 barracks. I'll need to call a Captain's meeting soon."

Meanwhile, down in the Precincts, Tyler and Ulrich had arrive.

"This is the Dark Dimension?" Tyler asked, taking in the dirt roads and old brown buildings.

"That's right. This is the outskirts, the Precincts. The place where supernaturals deemed 'average' live. It is the poorest and most free area. Not to mention, it also has the largest population of supernaturals," Ulrich replied. Tyler then noticed a blue light that seemed to be protected by a large wall.

"What the hell is that?"

"The Great Wall. Look above." Tyler looked up to see a massive city suspended over the ground. "That is The Celestial Court, the home of the Hunters. It is suspended above The Precincts. The Great Wall protects the beam that teleports Hunters to the Celestial Court." Tyler then approached the gate, but a massive giant emerged from the wall.

"It's been so long since someone came to my gate. I finally have something to do. If you wish to pass through the gate without an entrance permit, fight me! Attack from whatever angle you want."

"Who the hell is this guy?" Tyler asked Ulrich.

"His name is Jesse. He is one of the elites of The Dark Dimension. The guard of one of the Four Gates. Defeating him won't be a simple task. After all, he's been a Guardian for three hundred years. Till now, nobody has ever passed him to enter the gate. A swing from his axe and you will disappear from this world. He is the legendary Hercules. Tyler, retreat! We'll come up with a plan." Jesse slammed down a giant axe, but Tyler stopped it with his demon blade.

"I wasn't ready yet. What you did is by no means courteous," said Tyler.

"You're not bad! This is great. It's been awhile since someone could block my axe. I can finally use all of my strength. Good luck, kiddo. Until now, there have only been three people who could block my axe including you, but the ones that can block my second…there has been none! Take this!" Jesse swung his axe once more and Tyler was still standing, having deflected the blow. "Great. You're still standing! I'm not finished yet! Ten Strike Festival! Now die!" Jesse struck Tyler's blade and the ground ten times and was shocked that the Hunter was still alive. "How…how can you still be standing?"

"Are you finished yet? It's my turn now! Sorry, but I'm going to have to destroy your axes." With one swing of his blade, Tyler sliced through the axes, leaving Jesse with only the hilt.

"What…what happened? My axe…where is my axe? It's broken! Broken! You bastard, my axe!" Jesse cried.

"Is he…crying?" Tyler asked, shocked.

"I lost completely! Both as a fighter and as a man, I was utterly defeated. I have been the gatekeeper for three hundred years. I have never lost a battle. You are the first. I, Jesse, grant you my permission to pass through the gate!"

"Are you serious?"

"Take care of yourself, kid. I don't know the reason why you want to go through. The warriors inside are all powerful guys!"

"I know."

"I see. Then you better be prepared. I'm opening the gate now. Don't be astonished. Take a breath and rush inside." Using his massive strength, Jesse opened the gate with his hands. Sweat poured down Jesse's face as he realized who was on the other side of the door.

"Who is this guy?" Tyler asked, seeing a man dressed in the garb of a Captain.

"That is none other than the Captain of Squad Three, Marcellus Gerard."

"Not good. Unacceptable." With a swift upward motion, Marcel cut off Jesse's arm. The door began to crash down, but Jesse propped the monstrous gate on his back. "Being a guardian of the gate doesn't mean you're supposed to open the gate."

"I defended the gate and lost. Once I lost, I had to open the gate. There was nothing else I could do," Jesse replied.

"What you're saying makes no sense. When the Guardian loses, the Guardian may still not open the door. When the Guardian loses, it means…death." Tyler's blade then struck against Marcel's.

"What do you think you're doing! I won against Jesse fair and square and you just pop out of nowhere and start attacking! Come. If you're so eager to fight, then I will be your opponent. For a no good punk like you who attacks an unarmed person so hastily, I will rip you apart."

"You're an interesting guy. Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Hell no."

"Stop messing around, Tyler! Let's retreat first!" said Ulrich, alarmed that they had met a Captain right off the bat. His mistress wouldn't be pleased if they were killed so easily.

"So you're Tyler Lockwood."

"You know me?"

"So he does exist," said Marcel as he began to walk away.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"If that's the case, then I definitely can't let you pass."

"Then why are you walking so far away? Are you planning to throw that knife at me?"

"It's not a knife. In fact, this is my Demon Blade. Shoot him down, Kyros." Kyros' blade glowed white and extended at high speed. Protecting himself from the blade by using Akira as a shield, Jesse and Tyler were pushed back into The Precincts with tremendous force.

"The door is closing!" Tyler yelled as Kyros receded to its normal size.

"Bye-bye now," Marcel waved as the gate crashed down.

"It's alright," said Ulrich.

"Sorry. Because of me, the door…"

"Forget it. There's no point in feeling bad about it now. Although the door is closed again, that was Marcel. Even if you passed through, the results would have still been the same. Be thankful you're not injured or worse...dead, like him." They both took in Jesse who had succumbed to his injuries. "I want to discuss our plan for tonight and tomorrow. First, once the door has been opened, the security behind the door will increase dramatically."

"So then fighting the Guardian for passage won't work anymore?"

"Breaking in like that was never a good idea in the first place! Anyways, we won't be able to use the gate anymore. We'll just go in without using the gate entrance. There's a certain woman in a certain place we must visit."

The following day, Ulrich and Tyler had arrived at a house in a large clearing.

"Long time no see, Ulrich. Who's this Hunter you got with you?" Isobel Flemming asked as the wolf and Hunter entered the house.

"I came here to ask you for a favor," said Ulrich.

"I thought so. Isn't it the same every time you come? Is _that woman_ involved?"

"Yes. She would appreciate your compliance."

"Is it really complicated?"

"I think so."

"It's been a very long time since we've had this kind of conversation. Okay. Tell me." Ulrich then relayed to Isobel their predicament. "I see. I think I understand. Alright, I'll accept the job."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I can't really refuse since _she's_ involved."

A few days later, Stefan paid a visit to Amara in her cell.

"What is it, Stefan? Isn't it a bit early for the execution?"

"The execution will take place fourteen days from now. I need to transfer you to the Grand Tower's Repentance Cell." After traveling a short distance to a large white tower that had trees and waterfalls running down the sides, Stefan released Amara from her bindings. "Do you see that, Amara? Through that window." Outside a small window was a view of a large halberd and cross. "The Infernal Tool. It'll be used for your execution. You can stare at it for the rest of your days and think about the crimes you've committed. It's against my better judgment, but I thought you should know even though it's unconfirmed. The other day some troublemaker tried to break into The Celestial Court. He was a Hunter with a sword as long as his body."

Amara's face lit up as she looked at him in shock.

_It's been such a long time since I last saw her face like that, _Stefan thought as he left the Grand Tower._ The one who greeted him was Marcel. That kid wouldn't stand a chance against him. Should I have told her about that? No. She's better off not knowing._

"Hello, Stefan," Elena greeted from the alcove of a hallway.

"Head Captain."

"May I speak to you privately?" Stefan nodded and they walked into a storage room. She closed the door and placed a triple lock seal around the room. "Stefan, Amara and you are close friends, right?"

"I…uh…"

"You can tell me. I know that you two went to Academy together."

"Then yes."

"I'll get straight to the point. From your perspective, do you think that she deserves the death penalty?"

"How can you ask such a thing?"

"Don't you think it's weird? Her crimes were 'unauthorized lending of Hunter power' and 'late return'. Sentencing her to death only for those reasons…this hasn't happened before. Also, I have been banned from the Noble Chambers, no doubt in an effort to stop me from appealing the decision. The execution postponed for twenty-five days instead of the normal thirty-five and The Infernal Tool is normally only used for captains that committed a really serious crime. These circumstances are all very strange. I have a strong suspicion that all these things are happening as a result of the will of a single person."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting you keep your eyes open. Be careful. There's something not right about this."

"Attention all captains! Report immediately for an emergency meeting! All captains are to report immediately!" sounded an alarm.

"You should go as well. A Lieutenant's meeting will be announced soon," said Elena before she removed the barrier and left.

Meanwhile in the Precincts, Tyler and Ulrich were led by Isobel to a large black cannon.

"What is that?" Tyler asked.

"I'm using that to send you into The Celestial Court from the sky."

"The sky!"

"I'm Isobel Flemming, the first class fireworks expert."

"That's impossible!" Isobel then threw Tyler a crystal orb. "What's this?"

"It's a mana core. Hold on to it and give it your mana. It will create a cannonball of mana energy around you. If you think that the wall below the city is the only defense barrier, you're dead wrong. The wall is made of a special mineral that completely blocks out all mana. If you don't make a hole in the wall, you can't get in. More importantly, this mineral releases a special mana energy wave from the cut surfaces. In other words, a protection field covers the city! By providing mana energy to the core, you can create a cannonball strong enough to break through the protection field. I will then use the cannon to fire you up and break you in with one clean strike. This may sound a little ridiculous, but there's no other way."

Back in the Celestial Court, Stefan, tugging on his Lieutenant's badge over his arm, walked toward the Squad 1 Barracks meeting hall with the Lieutenant of Squad 7, Slater Viletta.

"This is a first. Being ordered to wear my Lieutenant armband," Stefan growled.

"Same here! This is the first time I was told to wear it too! All lieutenants are to put on their badges and wait in conference room two. This is certainly becoming interesting."

"Yeah," said Stefan as they walked into a room.

"Stefan, Slater," Alexia Branson, the Lieutenant of Squad 5, greeted.

"Lexi, you're the only one here?" Stefan asked.

"I think so."

"What do you expect? All the captains and Lieutenants are scatted around the Dark Dimension with their missions," said the Lieutenant of Squad 10, Rebekah Mikaelson, from the doorway. "It'll take at least half a day to gather everyone. And to make matters worse my Captain can't be reached at all. This is turning into somewhat of a problem. What to do, what to do."

"Stefan, have you seen Captain Petrova?" Bonnie asked, entering.

"No. Haven't seen her," Stefan lied.

"Oh. She's been acting strange. She doesn't tell me what's wrong. No matter how many times I ask."

"Don't worry, Bonnie. Everything will be fine. This meeting is probably no big deal too. My guess is this summons will be canceled before much longer." _What's happening, Elena? Just what the hell is going on here?_

In the meeting hall of the captains, all of the Captains save for Marcel had arrived. Elena sat in her throne-like chair, impatiently tapping her finger on the arm. She then heard the large doors creak open and perked up along with the other Captains.

"So you're here, Captain of Squad 3. Marcel Gerard," Elena spoke.

"An unexpected summons. Tell me. Should I be appalled or impressed? And look at this distinguished crowd. The Captains who control the Dark Dimension all here just for me?"

"Quit joking around," said Mikael Mikaelson, the Captain of Squad 11. "I heard that you went to deal with some intruder out of your jurisdiction and worse yet you failed to eliminate the threat. Why? With your skill, four to five intruders should be a piece of cake."

"He didn't die? Strange. I was so sure that I took care of him. I guess my instincts are starting to fail me."

"Stop playing games," said Matt Donovan, the Captain of Squad 7. "It's impossible for a captain to be unable to detect if his opponent has been exterminated. Can it be that you deliberately failed and you are using carelessness as an excuse?"

"Here we go again. Old men and their pointless arguments. What a pain," Vaughn sighed.

"Are you saying that I deliberately let them go?" Marcel asked.

"Exactly," Matt replied.

"Shut up, Donovan! I was talking first so buzz off! Though if you want me to kill you, keep talking," Mikael yelled.

"How dull," Sage murmured.

"Looks like tempers are running high today," Alaric muttered.

"Silence!" Elena ordered. "All of you! Mikael, Matt, stand down! You acted alone without permission and you failed to capture your target, Marcel. That is unusual for a captain! I would like to hear your explanation. That is the reason we're here today. How do you defend your actions?"

"I can not."

"What?"

"I have no excuse. I made a mistake. I won't try to justify my carelessness."

"Alright. You will be punished however…"

"Hold on a second, Marcel. I have something I want to ask you first," said Klaus.

"Alert! Alert! The Celestial Court has been breached. All personnel report to their stations," an alarm resounded.

"What? Intruders? Can it be the same ones as before?" Mikael asked.

"This is most unfortunate, but it can't be helped," Elena replied. "This Captain's meeting will be postponed for now. We will decide on Marcel's punishment at a later date. Everyone, please return to your defense stations for now."

"The alarm sure came at the perfect time," Klaus whispered to Marcel as the other captains began to vacate the hall.

"What do you mean? I'm afraid that I do not understand."

"Do you actually think you can get away with this? It is best not to underestimate me." Klaus and Marcel parted ways just as Vaughn overheard their entire conversation. In a hallway that led toward Elena's office, Elena noticed Damon was following her.

"I told you to go to your defense station, did I not?"

"And I told you I wasn't leaving your side until this mess was resolved."

"Damon, he will become suspicious if protocol is not followed."

"Stefan can handle the squad."

"But…" Damon silenced her with a kiss.

"I think the lady doth protest too much."

"Damon."

"Argue all you like, love, but I will not budge. Not on this."

"Fine. I swear. You're the most frustrating man I've ever met."

"But you love me anyway." They walked out onto the balcony of the Squad 1 barracks that oversaw the Celestial Court. They looked up into the sky and noticed a streak of light. "What is that?"

"Well, I'll be damned. That crafty Isobel." Elena then noticed Bonnie on the ground below with Squad 1. "Bennett, something is falling into the barrier! Move everyone back!"

"Right," Bonnie agreed as she began to clear the area.

"It hit the barrier and didn't disappear," said Finn from the ground as the light crashed into the invisible wall. "Then that means that is a high concentration of mana energy." Suddenly, at high impact, the light crashed through the barrier and streaked across the sky.

"All squads remain at your defense positions! We will let the intruder come to us!" Elena ordered.

In an area of the Celestial Court, Tyler wiped his pants of the dust he'd collected on his way through the barrier.

"Looks like Ulrich and I got separated," said Tyler, noticing the wolf was nowhere to be found. Tyler then sensed someone behind him.

"Well, well," said Connor Jordan, the Lieutenant of Squad 11. "Originally, I thought standing guard was too troublesome so I wandered off and here's the prey right in front of me! Today is my lucky day. As for you, intruder. You're very unlucky."


	10. The Fear

"So you're not going to run, huh? This is a first," said Connor, leaning his blade against his shoulder.

"If you're stronger than me, what would be the point in running away when you would have caught up to me anyways? However, if you are just a weakling, I can simply kick your ass and then move forward."

"I see. You're not so dumb after all." With lightning speed, Connor drew his sword and attacked Tyler, but the blade only struck the ground. _He dodged it. He moves well._ Tyler sent his sword Connor's way, but the dark-skinned man blocked it with his sheath.

_He's using the sheath?_ Connor then moved to attack with his drawn blade, but Tyler jumped up, dodging it. In the air, they simultaneously attacked each other, drawing blood on each other's forehead.

"What's your name?" Connor asked.

"Tyler Lockwood."

"I am the Lieutenant of Squad 11, Connor Jordan!" Tyler wiped the blood dripping down his face. "I don't get it. Sure there's a fair amount of distance between us, but only a rookie would remove a hand from his sword during a match."

"That's none of your business. I can't see very clearly because of the blood that got into my eyes so I used my hand to wipe it off!"

"Even shallow wounds above the eye bleed profusely. Instead of constantly wiping the blood off, you should find a way to stop the bleeding." Connor removed a cap from the butt end of his demon blade, revealing a hidden ointment. He applied the medicine to his wound.

"You have ointment to stop the bleeding! Cheater!"

"This is not cheating! It's called being prepared, you idiot! Instead of complaining, you should be applauding my professionalism. What a weirdo. Your actions are that of a rookie. I really can't tell that you're a warrior, but you have excellent reflexes and fierce attacks. As for your body movements, you could say it's very close to mine!" Tyler glared at him. "You shouldn't look so angry. I'm complimenting you. You're more than just a rookie. Who is your teacher?"

"He only taught me for a few days. I don't know if that's enough to be considered a teacher, but someone did teach me fighting tactics."

"Who is he?"

"Enzo Sarcosi."

"I see. The Queen will find that to be quite interesting. Well, if you truly are a student of his, it would be very rude of me to kill you too easily." Connor slammed the hilt of his blade and sheath together. "Extend, Minos!" Connor's blade then took on the form of a spear with a wax wood shaft. The pommel featured a red horsehair tassel. "You don't have time to be surprised, Tyler! Here I come! Don't miss it!" Connor attacked Tyler, who blocked each attack.

"Who do you think you're talking to! I know very well that it takes longer to attack using a spear! There's no way I'll miss it!"

"You're wrong." Connor grinned and spun Minos in his hand, holding it up. Tyler seized the opportunity, launching himself at Connor. "Split, Minos!" Minos split into a three-part-pole, its blade heading right for Tyler's head. Tyler managed to dodge it just in time, but not without injury. The blade had cut his arm. Connor withrew his blade, resting it over his shoulders. "When I said don't miss it, I was referring to that. Minos isn't a spear. It's a three part pole. It hurts, right? You probably won't be able to use your sword with that arm anymore. I'm a generous man. If you were any other person, I would try to capture you alive, but if I don't kill you, then it won't count as an achievement." Tyler began to wrap up his wounded arm with the excess bandages from his sword's hilt.

"Fine."

"What? You're not serious are you?"

"Dead serious." He ran toward Connor who stepped aside, allowing the wall next to him to be destroyed by Tyler's blade. "Don't talk as if our fight is over. You still don't know my sword. This has just begun, Connor. Next time, it's you who won't be able to hold your weapon."

"What an arrogant little punk you are. If only your talents were as well developed as your boasting." He flicked Minos at Tyler, who blocked it with Akira. Connor then disappeared and ran at him again, from a different direction this time. "Too slow!" Tyler just barely blocked the end of Minos with Akira, but the impact caused him to lose his balance and almost fall. He attacked Connor this time, catching Akira at the chain, but Connor re-joined those two sections of Minos, and used the remaining section to swing at Tyler, who evaded by leaning back. Minos, now a full spear, continued to come at Tyler at different angles. "What was that you were saying before, you amateur? Did you really think you could make me lose grip of my sword?"

Minos' chain coiled itself around Akira twice, allowing Connor the opportunity to pull Akira down and kick Tyler in the face. As Minos came smashing down on Tyler once more, Akira knocked it back, stunning Connor.

"If I'm so slow, then how did that happen?"

"Just a fluke. And it won't happen again."

"Your predictions are even shakier than your fighting ability." Connor then used his sword to jump onto the roof of a building before Tyler could do anything.

"You're still not fast enough to beat me."

Tyler stuck his sword into the wall on whose roof Connor stood, drawing a line across it to make the ground under Connor's feet fall away. Tyler attacked Connor, but the latter jumped away and Tyler was greeted with an unavoidable Minos in his face, which he blocked with his bare hand. Connor swung Minos like a helicopter blade and laughed at Tyler, who was sprawled on the floor.

"Is your mouth the only part of you you can run? Minos can transform at will. I guess you really aren't in my league after all."

"I'll admit it took me a little while, but I've got it now," Tyler replied, standing up. "I finally have your attack completely figured out." He opened his fist, from which dropped scraps of red horse hair – the end of Minos had been cracked by Tyler's block. Connor stared at his adversary in shock.

_Impossible. He took Minos with his bare hand._

"What's wrong with you, Connor? You look like you've just seen a ghost. I hope you haven't lost the will to fight. If you won't attack, I will."

With that, he leapt into the air and Connor rejoined Minos. With astonishing force, Tyler destroyed the chain between two of the sections of Minos, spilling Connor's blood. Connor flung away the useless section of Minos.

"I guess you think it's over, but you're dead wrong, my friend. It won't be over as long as I can hold my sword. You really want to end this?" Holding on to one section of Minos, he swung the other around. "Because the only way I'll put down my sword is if you cut off my arm!"

"Don't make me do this."

"You don't have the stomach for it?"

"Why don't you just face the fact that this fight is over? You can't win and you know it. So give it up."

"No chance, greenhorn. This battle isn't over yet and it's not going to be unless one of us is dead." He charged at Tyler, seeming to change his angle every few seconds.

"You're too slow!" Tyler yelled as he swung Akira powerfully. A line of blood was drawn all the way up Connor's arm.

"You are strong. Not so lucky after all." He then crumpled to the ground.

"This wasn't a lucky day for either one of us if you ask me," said Tyler as he looked at his arm, blood seeping through the bandages.

A few moments later, Connor opened his eyes.

"I'm still alive?" he asked indignantly.

"You're finally awake," Tyler replied, sitting near by.

"What are you doing? Why are you still here?"

"Well, I learned something." He held up a sheathed Minos. "A demon blade goes right back to normal after its owner falls unconscious."

"My Minos. Give it back, punk!"

"I never intended to keep it anyways! I just borrowed some of your medicine, but I used it all up between the two of us." Connor looked down at his body. His wounds were covered in ointment.

"You bastard. You had no right to do that."

"So ungrateful. I just saved your life."

"That's exactly the point! Now you've denied me the glory of death after being so thoroughly defeated. How can I possibly live on now after such humiliation? Damnit. If I could get up now, I would beat you to a bloody pulp!"

"Idiot. Obviously, I shouldn't have bothered saving your life in the first place, but whether you appreciate it or not doesn't matter to me. I just need some answers from you."

"Should have known there was something more to this. Such bad luck. What do you want to know? My birthday?"

"Where is Amara Petrova?"

"Petrova? That girl on death row? Why do you want to know?"

"I'm here to rescue her!"

"Rescue her? Yeah right! Are you an idiot! You'll never pull off a suicide mission like that! Are all you humans this stupid!" Connor's wound then squirted blood. "Shit! I laughed so hard my wound opened up!"

"And he's telling me I'm the stupid one?"

"Alright. Listen, go straight south from here and you'll see the main offices of the thirteen squads. West of the offices is a tall white tower. She's probably in that tower. I don't care what your real intentions are, but if you want to go there, go ahead. If you stay here much longer, someone may come! So if you want to go, go now!"

"I'll repay you later, Connor."

"Don't repay me, damnit! Hold on a second. You better watch out for my captain. He'll seek you out."

"Is he strong?"

"You'll know when you see him. Actually, you'll know how strong he is if you survive the meeting."

"What's his name?"

"Captain of Squad 11, Mikael Mikaelson."

Later, the remaining lieutenants were informed of the current battle situation.

"Here's the latest situation report," said a messenger. "From the 11th squad, Lieutenant Connor Jordan, has been withdrawn from the front line due to severe injuries immediately! Each squad is reporting minor injuries. However, the 11th squad has been reported to have been completely wiped out."

"That's impossible," said Thierry.

"Not Squad 11," Lexi gasped.

"How could one intruder have done so much damage in just a few hours?" asked Lieutenant Rose-Marie Triton of Squad 9.

"That squad is pathetic," Lieutenant Tessa Delacroix of Squad 2 replied.

"What the hell is going on here?" Thierry asked.

"I've been telling you for years that Squad 11 is overrated."

"You're not helping things by spreading rumors, Tessa," Rebekah argued.

"What's going on here? What kind of monster is this intruder?" Lexi whispered as the others argued. "It seems that the situation is getting worse and worse, Stefan." She then realized Stefan had left through a back door. "Stefan?"

At the hospital, Klaus was interrogating Connor, but wasn't making much progress.

"Are you sure you have nothing to say?" Klaus asked.

"It's not that I don't want to talk. It's just that I really don't know anything. Not the intruder's goal nor destination. Nothing."

"So you simply lost the fight and came back?"

"Correct. It may seem strange to you, but sometimes battle is like that. By the way, I don't even remember what the enemy looked or sounded like so I really have no information for you whatsoever."

"You lie and now you will receive punishment for failure!" Klaus raised his hand to strike Connor, but Mikael grabbed his wrist.

"I'm surprised. Since when do you have the authority over the members of another squad, son?"

"Father." Klaus pulled his hand away. "Since your captain is here, I will take my leave." Klaus then left.

"Foolish child," Mikael whispered before turning his attention to his subordinate. "I heard that you lost a fight."

"I'm very sorry. I know that failure is unacceptable but I came back anyways."

"Is he strong?"

"Very. He has brown hair and carries a sword as long as his body with no guard or grip. He is heading for the Repentance Cell."

"So he wants to rescue that criminal."

"I told him what you look like and to watch out for you. If he remembers what I said, it will be a great battle when you two meet. He was strong and he will probably get stronger by the time you meet him."

"Is that so? What's his name?"

At the staircase that leads to the Repentance Cell, a thick fog covered the ground as Tyler approached. Tyler abruptly stopped walking as the fog lifted and he noticed a familiar face.

"Long time no see. Remember my face?" Stefan asked.

"Stefan Salvatore."

"That's unexpected. You even remember my name. You have a pretty good memory."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"I'm really surprised. I always thought that you had been killed by my brother's attack. I don't know how you survived, but it's very impressive which is worth complimenting. However, it's all over now," said Stefan as he walked toward Tyler and drew his sword. "I've said this before. I will kill the one who stole Amara's power. If you're still alive, then Amara's power cannot be restored."

"What do you care about that when you've just sentenced her to death! I'm going to cut you to pieces!"

"Go ahead and try!" Their blades clashed and Tyler pinned Stefan to a wall. "Let me ask you. How do you plan on saving Amara? Even if you defeat me now, there's still eleven more lieutenants. And above that there's thirteen full-fledged squad captains. Unless you can defeat all of us there's no way you can save Amara. Are you sure you can do it?"

"Of course! How many captains and lieutenants there are! What the hell does it have to do with me? I'll fight 'em no matter what! If they dare to try to stop me, then I'll defeat them all!"

"What is this? Where does your confidence come from? It borders on insanity. Such a quality would almost be admirable if it weren't so irrational. With only one or two life and death battles under your belt, you think you can handle anything? Or is it that your demon blade is different? Can it be that with this little improvement in strength you became this arrogant?" Stefan's sword began to glow and he pushed Tyler back. "Howl, Ignatius!" He extended it in Tyler's direction and, although Tyler used Akira to block it, the attack knocked him all the way back into a wall and right through it. Stefan then retracted Ignatius. "Seems like you thought you understood my abilities after just one fight with me. Let me tell you. When lieutenants and captains go to the human world, in order to not cause unnecessary disturbances, we try very hard to suppress our powers. Right now, my power is five times stronger than when we last met! Doesn't matter how strong you are. It's close to impossible for you to beat me!"

"So you're saying right now this is your real strength." To Stefan's surprise, Tyler emerged from the hole he was smashed into with Akira in his firm grip. "To me, your attacks are totally ineffective! Thank you very much for the information! If there's eleven more guys like you, then I think I should be able to handle them!"

"I'm going to enjoy this," Stefan smirked.


	11. I Will Not Bow

_Everything is so blurry. That hit was too damn strong. I can hardly stand. I lost a lot of blood in the fight against Connor. Damn it. Stop shaking,_ Tyler thought.

"You talk big, but it seems standing is all you can manage to do right now," said Stefan before he sent another attack. Tyler dodged the attack which hit a building. "If you didn't exist, if she never met you, Amara wouldn't have to go through all of this!" Tyler jumped on top of a building to dodge once again. "You won't get away!" Stefan sliced the top of the building and emerged on top to clash his blade against Tyler's.

Elsewhere, Lieutenant Lexi Branson showed Lieutenant Thierry Vanchure something she found in Stefan's office.

"Stefan's lieutenant badge," Thierry gasped.

"I know this looks suspicious, but he disappeared in the middle of the meeting. I was worried about him so I went to the Squad 6 barracks. I found this on his desk."

"Do the captains know about this?"

"I haven't reported it yet."

"I see."

"At first I thought about telling Captain Mikaelson, but I didn't want him to get punished over something I had said."

"Until we know exactly what's going on, that was a very wise decision. Let's not tell anyone for now."

"Thierry, what could this mean? For him to remove this before he left."

"It must mean something important. He's been moody lately because of Amara. I hope he's not doing anything foolish. I'll try my best to search for him without attracting attention."

Back at the battlefield, both combatants were growing weary from the fighting.

"You really are stupid. Do you want to save Amara that badly?" Stefan asked.

"Idiot. I didn't say I want to save her. I said I have to save her."

"Don't make me laugh!" Stefan's blade cut Tyler across the shoulder. "It's your fault that Amara lost her power! That's why her sentence is so heavy! Don't you get it? It's all because of you that Amara's going to die! What right do you have to say you want to save her! Quit joking around!" Tyler blocked Stefan's next attack.

"You think I don't know that? It's the reason why I will save her!" The sections of Ignatius then reformed. _I think I've finally figured it out. His limit is three attacks. _He recalled some of Enzo's training.

"All attacks have a beginning and an end. There is always a limit to the number of consecutive slashes. Like there are six shots in a pistol and rockets only fire once. Any combo attack has a limit. It doesn't matter if he hits less sometimes, the important thing is knowing the limit. When a fight gets rough, the enemy will always attack using the combo with the highest number of possible hits. Once you've dodged them all, you will find an opening. After the last hit of the combo before he starts a new set of attacks, the enemy will become defenseless."

Using this information, Tyler dodged Stefan's blows. After the third strike, there was an opening. Tyler moved in. However, Stefan merely moved to the side and sliced Tyler's other shoulder.

"Like I said. You can't win. Period."

_He dodged it? How?_

"It seems that you're puzzled about how I dodged your attack. Looking for an opening between thrusts is a good strategy. Your timing was perfect. But why couldn't you hit me? The answer is simple. You're too slow! You and I are at completely different levels. The answer is that simple. Do you understand now? You can't rescue Amara because I am going to kill you right here!"

He reared back for the killing blow and struck. A cloud of dust ensued on the battlefield and Amara, in her cell, stirred as if she felt something. Barely, Tyler dodged the blow. Stefan was unsurprised at the move.

"You are truly stubborn."

Tyler reminisced again on Enzo's training. The two at brawled for a time and he had been smashed into some rocks. Enzo was relentless in his assault.

"I'll keep going after you until you have nowhere else to run because I have to prepare you to be able to reproduce that attack whenever necessary."

"Yeah right. That was just a lucky hit. I'll never be able to do something like that at will."

"Then you'll train until you can! You've learned how to unleash the power of your demon blade and you've also learned the basic fighting techniques. You have the talent but you are only as good as a 3rd or 4th seat Hunter right now. Lieutenants and above are at a whole different level. If you want to fight someone like them, you must be able to fully utilize your demon blade."

"That's easy for you to say. I was under pressure. I don't even remember how I did that."

"I know. That's why I'm doing this. That's why I'll keep pushing you until you have no where to run, so you can remember how you did it." Enzo struck Tyler's blade slamming him into a huge boulder. "How disappointing! I'm really…really disappointed. In your sword, all I see is fear. When you're dodging, you're afraid of getting hit. When you're attacking, you're afraid of hitting me. When you're protecting someone, you're afraid of them dying. Your sword is filled with fear! It's pathetic! You can't give into fear in a fight! It won't help you at all. When you're dodging, think I won't let you hit me! When you're protecting someone, think I won't let you die! When you're attacking, think I'm going to cut you! See? See this in my sword? Do you see my determination? Do you see I am going to cut you in half?" Tyler raised his sword, showing the same sheer power as Enzo. "So you're capable of it after all. The determination. Don't ever forget it."

In front of Stefan, Tyler rose, hardened and resolved. He lifted his sword over his shoulder.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Stefan. I will now put all of my will into defeating you," said Tyler, releasing his mana. Stefan's surprised face quickly regained composure.

_What the hell's with him? All of a sudden…Was he like this the last time? No. It's different. It's calm and controlled. Without a doubt, it's much stronger. _

Tyler suddenly attacked and Stefan sent his blade toward him. Tyler dodged and countered all of Stefan's attacks. He rose his sword and the battle was decided with one blow. Stefan's blade was shattered and a large chest wound was inflicted on him. Even a vampire's healing factor was no match for this blow. The ensuing explosion threw Stefan into a wall.

_What the hell was that, Ignatius? Damn. I see now. His resolve. It hurts. My body feels heavy. My feet won't move. My arm won't rise. Damn it. How did I lose? It's impossible. _"Amara! You should know something, kid. For years, Amara has been hounded by her family. That of the Head Captain, Elena Petrova, our leader. It's funny. They may look alike, but they're totally different. Elena is graceful and cunning while Amara is boisterous and mocking. The Royal Family always criticized Amara for not being as strong as her sister. She hated them with all her being and I…I loved her. I wanted to marry her, but I knew I would have to go through Elena for permission. I promised Amara, but I didn't follow through. Now that I think about it I was probably just scared because I…damn…I am really a tramp down to my bones. I hate myself. I bark at the moon, but I don't have the courage to jump and grab it. I promised myself that once I defeated Elena in battle, I'd asked. I've trained everyday but I still failed. She is too strong. It has become an impossible dream to me. I'm probably shameless for doing this but I have to ask you. Please. You have to save my Amara."

"Yeah."

From the distance, Sage and Elena looked over the scene. Elena closed her eyes.

"Head Captain?" Sage asked.

"Take care of the boy. Heal him, but remain hidden. I'll take care of Stefan." Sage nodded and they both jumped down to the ground. While Sage grabbed Tyler and took him down to the underground passageways, Elena turned Stefan back onto his back. "I always knew, you fool. If you'd just asked me, I would've given you my permission. Amara's happiness was all I ever wanted." Members from Squad 3 then arrived on the scene. "It's about time you all showed up."

"Are you okay, Head Captain?" asked one of the members.

"I arrived here just a little before you did. I'm fine. Although, I can't say the same for Stefan."

"No way. Even he was defeated," said Thierry.

"Should we follow the intruder's path? I see blood," said one of the Squad 3 members.

"No. Right now saving Stefan's life is more important," Elena ordered. "Take him to the nearest squad station for medical treatment. I have other business to attend to. Thierry, can you see to this?"

"Of course, Head Captain."

"Very well. I shall be on my way. I'm counting on you."

An hour or so later, Lexi had come to the Squad 3 barracks and was shocked at Stefan's condition.

"How can this be?" she asked.

"When I found him, he was already like this. If only I'd gotten there sooner, I could have fought along side him and this never would have happened."

"It's okay. I'll contact Squad 4 and ask for a higher official's assistance."

"That is out of the question," said Damon, appearing behind Lexi and Thierry, his voice firm and angry.

"Captain Salvatore."

"I want Stefan taken to prison."

"But, sir, Stefan's been badly hurt, fighting the intruder all by himself. Without treatment…"

"I don't want excuses. Since he was fighting alone, there's no reason that he should have lost. In such a situation, defeat is forbidden. I have no use for a fool who does not understand that. He's just getting in the way. Take him away."

"How can you say that! Is that how you treat your men, let alone your own family!"

"Lexi!" Thierry hissed. "A thousand pardons, Captain Salvatore. She did not mean it."

"I didn't mean it, Captain. Please forgive me." Damon walked away.

"I'm sorry, but we have to follow orders. We must take Stefan to prison."

"So scary, my husband," said Elena. Thierry and Lexi turned to see the woman, leaning against a wall.

"Captain Petrova!"

"Don't worry. I will contact Captain Katerina Petrova. He will get the best care. Thierry, I believe your captain is looking for you."

"Yes, ma'am," Thierry then left. Elena turned to leave as well, but then stopped.

"Lexi, Damon does care. He was being kind."

"Kind, my lady?"

"He worries over his little brother. With his wounds, jail would be the safest place for Stefan to recover. He's trying to protect him. I'll send Katerina to heal Stefan's wounds. Although, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about getting Stefan out of jail just yet. I'll speak with Damon about it. I'll be on my way now. I have a captain's meeting to attend to."

"Sorry to trouble you." After Elena left, Galen appeared behind Lexi.

"Wow. Stefan is in bad shape! What a mess!"

"Galen!"

"Hey, I'm a captain. You shouldn't address me like that."

"Be quiet! That's enough! How come all the captains don't make any sound when they walk! By the way, Galen, why are you…why are you here and you didn't bring your lieutenant."

"I'm here to give you some advice. Watch out for Squad 3."

"Squad 3? You mean Thierry?"

"I'm talking about Marcel, but watch Thierry as well. It's strange. I wish I could give you more specifics. Just be careful."

A little while later, a captain's meeting was held at the Squad 1 barracks.

"Absolutely out of the question!" Elena yelled. "The mere thought of demoting Stefan is unacceptable. He did his duty."

"And lost," Damon replied.

"The outcome does not matter."

"Excuse me, Damon, but I agree with the Head Captain," said Klaus. "Stefan's wounds will heal soon and he'll be able to rejoin this fight. We don't want to diminish our offensive line."

"He has a point," said Sage.

"The thirteen squads are already short one lieutenant. I'm not going to lose another one," said Elena.

"Head Captain," Damon argued.

"We will discuss this at length later, Captain Salvatore. The current situation has become critical and must be addressed. We can no longer leave this matter in the hands of lower-ranked officers and members. Subsequently, no disciplinary measures will be taken against Marcel for his earlier independent actions."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Furthermore, senior officers including lieutenants shall hereby be allowed to carry their demon blade at all times with full war-time usage of their powers. Everyone, we may soon begin an all-out war. You are dismissed. Captain Salvatore, I'd like a word. Accompany me to my office." When they reached the office, Elena shut the door. "What in the world is the matter with you! You don't bring something like that up in a meeting without at least mentioning it to me!"

"Because I knew you would've said no!"

"I know what you're doing, Damon, and it will never work. What do you think would happen if he was demoted? He'd transfer to another squad and be promoted again. He's in this as much you or I am. You're trying to protect your little brother. I respect that, but this is not the way to do it."

"Should I protect him the way you're protecting Amara?" Damon snapped. Elena slapped him. She trembled, her head bent down.

"How dare you."

"I'm sorry. I misspoke. I'm angry. I say things I don't mean when I'm angry."

"I know. It's one of your charming traits."

"I apologize." Elena waved him off.

"Don't worry about it. The day has been long and hard. I have a question. Soon, Stefan will heal and he'll most likely break out of his jail cell to save Amara. That will interfere with our plans. What will be your course of action?"

"If that is the path he chooses, it seems I will be given no choice, but to meet him in combat."

"Very well."

Meanwhile, Lexi received new orders from her fellow lieutenant, Bonnie.

"All senior level officers including lieutenants are permitted to carry their swords within the court. Second, the ban on full power release is lifted. The above is a directive of the captain of Squad 1, Commander of the Imperial Hunter Squads, Lady Elena Petrova. The enemy was able to defeat Lieutenant Salvatore and there's no telling who they'll strike next. Please be careful, Lieutenant Branson." Lexi nodded and Bonnie left.

_Special order. We can carry our weapons and use deadly force. Stefan. How did you end up like that? Is it not better if we don't take up our weapons and just keep things peaceful? Captain Mikaelson. I really don't want to fight anyone,_ Lexi thought. That night, Lexi visited her captain.

"Yes, Lexi? Do you need something?" Klaus asked.

"Sorry. Can I talk to you for a moment? I know it's wrong to be bothering you this late at night, but I can't sleep."

"It's either very late or very early. Come in. You've had a rough day. You can stay for as long as you need. I heard that Stefan is stable."

"Really? That's a relief."

"Damon wanted to demote him but the others argued against it. So when he is healed, he will be able to return to his position. Gossip abounds that Elena gave him a stern talking to."

"Were you the one defending Stefan, Captain?"

"I wasn't the only one. He is talented and everyone likes him. No one will be happy if he got demoted."

"Yeah."

The following morning, Lexi woke up to see she had slept through her alarm clock.

"Oh! I'm so late!" she yelled as she sped out of her room and headed toward the barracks of Squad 1. Blood dripped down from a tower. Lexi turned and screamed in horror at the sight of a body impaled on the wall.

"What was that?" Rebekah asked, hearing the noise from the lieutenants' meeting hall.

"It came from the direction of the East Holy Wall," said Rose.

"That's Lexi's voice!" Thierry yelled as he, Rebekah, Rose, and Slater Viletta, Lieutenant of Squad 7, headed toward Lexi. "Lexi, what's wrong?" Thierry turned to the wall. "That's impossible."

"Brother. He was murdered," Rebekah gasped.

"Captain Mikaelson! No! This isn't real! Captain Mikaelson! Who did this!" Lexi yelled.

"What's going on? Who's screaming so early in the morning? Oh, that. Yes, it certainly is a tragedy," said Marcel callously.

"It was you!" Lexi charged toward Marcel, her blade drawn, but Thierry stopped her with his own sword. "Thierry! Why?"

"I am the Lieutenant of Squad 3! I don't care what your reason is. I cannot allow you to point your sword at my captain!"

"Move aside, Thierry."

"I can't."

"Move aside."

"I can't."

"What part of move aside don't you understand?"

"What part of I can't do you not understand? Remember your place!"

"Explode, Hiram!" In a red burst of energy, Lexi's sword gained two prong-like extensions and fired a large energy blast.

"How dare you release your demon blade like that. Think about what you're doing. Don't mix personal feelings with official business." Lexi sent another blast Thierry's way and he dodged it. "If you insist. I have no choice but to treat you as an enemy. Crush, Hephaestus." Thierry's blade grew longer and gained a hook on the end.

Before the two lieutenants could strike, they were blown away. Elena and Galen appeared between them.

"That's enough out of you two," Elena ordered.

"Back down," Galen added.

"Galen," said Lexi.

"Place these two under arrest," said Elena.

"Wait a minute!" Lexi protested as Rebekah and Rose grabbed Lexi while Slater restrained Thierry.

"Lexi!" Galen yelled. "At a time like this you take arms against your own? Especially when your priority should have been getting Captain Mikaelson's body down from up there."

"Take these two out of my sight immediately! Lock them up!" Elena shouted.

"My apologies, Head Captain, Captain of Squad 10. My man caused you some trouble," said Marcel as Thierry and Lexi were taken away.

"Marcel. Were you planning on killing Lexi?" Galen asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Play innocent if you like, but I'm warning you. If you make Lexi shed even one drop of blood, I'll kill you."

"What a terrifying thing to say! If you feel that way, you ought to be careful not to let bad guys get close to her."

"That's enough you two," Elena interrupted. "Return to your posts. I will take care of this." The captains left just as Captain Katerina Petrova arrived.

"Oh my," said Katerina. "This is disconcerting."

"Katerina, tell me what you see."

"The body of Klaus Mikaelson of course." Elena's eyes narrowed.

"How clever."

"Do you see something I don't?"

"All I see is the demon blade of Klaus Mikaelson, Aeron." Katerina looked at Elena in surprise. "Keep this to yourself, sister, and investigate this for me, will you?"

"Of course."

Meanwhile, Tyler had woken up to find himself mysteriously healed. He found his way outside of the tunnels and arrived at the front steps leading to the white tower, the Repentance Cell. As Tyler arrived at the main floor of the inner court, he felt a devastating mana.

"What…where the hell is this mana aura coming from? What the heck is this?"


	12. Immortal

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything!**

* * *

In the 5th squad's special first class holding cell, Lexi was curled up in the darkness. She hadn't slept at all since she'd been arrested.

"You look terrible," said Rebekah, entering the hallway of the jail.

"Rebekah. What are…"

"Have you finally calmed down yet?"

"Yes. I have. I'm sorry I lost control out there. I made trouble for you too, Rebekah."

"Never mind about me. You're the one who's in big trouble right now."

"I know. What's going on out there?"

"It's a complete disaster. Something like this happening in the midst of all the squads. It's unheard of and with this intruder situation everyone is disorganized, acting on their own without any focus."

"But what about Captain Mikaelson's murderer?"

"They're still gathering evidence from the crime scene. We just have to wait for the Head Captain to announce her findings."

"Evidence? But I already know who killed him! It was…"

"Don't say it, Lexi! That is an accusation that you can't make! I understand. I know that you want to see justice is done, but you should be more concerned about your own Squad 5. Think about it. All in one day your squad has lost a captain and lieutenant. I appreciate that you're hurt and you're angry. Nevertheless, when this happened the actions you took upon discovering my brother's body, confronting Captain Gerard, and releasing your demon blade…was there no other choice? Nothing else you might have done in that situation? If you think about it, I'm sure you'll realize you did have some other options at the time. The title of lieutenant demands that it should never be taken lightly. No matter what."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I just…I thought…" Rebekah handed Lexi a letter through the bars of the cell.

"This was found in Nik's room. It's for you."

"From Captain Mikaelson? For me?"

"Good thing it was discovered by my captain. If Captain Petrova had found it, it would have been seized as evidence and you wouldn't have even gotten a glance at it. I don't know what's in it, but as a lieutenant, I think it's a great honor to be the receiver of her captain's final words. I hope you appreciate it."

"Thank you, Rebekah." Rebekah left just as Lexi began to read the letter.

_ Alexia, if you are reading this, I am probably in another world that I can't return from. I'm very sorry for the anxiety and grief I caused you. I really can't emphasize that enough no matter how I say it. I had been hesitant to tell you about the reason behind my recent anxiety. I hope you can understand that the reason I hid it from you was so that I didn't drag you into it. I hope you can forgive me as I am about to drag you into it anyway. I sense that my time is near. Thus, to show you my faith in you, I will tell you all the facts of this conspiracy that I have discovered._

Meanwhile, Tyler was running through the maze of grey buildings that led to the Grand Tower.

_ I've been running for a while now yet I still feel so close to the source of the pressure, _Tyler thought._ It feels as if he is holding a sword against my neck constantly. _Tyler then stopped and turned to see a man sitting on the roof of a building.

"What's wrong with you?" the man asked. "Don't just stand there and stare." Suddenly, the man appeared behind him and Tyler felt as if his new opponent's mana impaled him. "Are you Tyler Lockwood?"

"How do you know my name? Who are you?"

"Didn't Connor tell you about me? I am the Captain of Squad 11, Mikael Mikaelson. I'm here to fight you to the death."

_ Mikael Mikaelson, the famous captain of Squad 11. No wonder he emits such a great mana aura. This guy feels completely different than anyone I've met,_ Tyler thought.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter with your hearing? I've just challenged you. You haven't said anything in response. Does that mean you're ready to start now?" Tyler drew his sword and mana emanated from his body. "Not bad. Though your stance is too rigid and there are gaps in your defense, your mana is very intense. No wonder Connor lost. Our lieutenants should be no match for you. Though you're still far weaker than me. How about this? I'll give you an advantage. I'll just stand here and you can cut me anywhere you want."

"What? What the hell are you talking about? I'm not going to attack someone unarmed! Do you think I'm stupid!"

"No, I don't think you're stupid. This is just a handicap. A charity. It's nice of you, not wanting to attack an unarmed person, but…you should save your sympathy for someone else. Don't be so stuck-up. Just enjoy this. Kill or be killed. What better way could you think of spending one's days? Come! Neck, stomach, eye! Anywhere! It'll be even better if you kill me in one blow. Just quit your quivering and attack!"

"You asked for it! Don't regret it later!" He attacked, but it was futile. His blade didn't even scratch Mikael. _It's impossible. He's not wounded at all! Impossible. I used all of my strength on that attack, but why isn't there even a scratch? Instead, my hands got busted from attacking. _

"That's it? How disappointing." Mikael pushed Tyler back by Akira's sharp edge with his bare hands.

_ He pushed Akira back with his bare hand. He's a monster!_

"You seem surprised. Is it so hard to believe? The fact that your sword can't even scratch me? Let me tell you why your sword can't even scratch me. It's pretty simple actually. When two beings collide, the side with a weaker mana aura will get hurt. That's all there is to it. In other words, compared to your sword that is highly concentrated for the purpose of killing, the mana aura that I subconsciously release is much, much stronger. Simple, isn't it? I can't believe that I camped out all night for this. It's so sad it's not even funny. Try to live long enough to let me get the rust off this thing. I'm counting on you, intruder."

Near the Squad 8 barracks, Lieutenant Jenna Sommers was heading toward the entrance of her unit when she sensed the presence of a messenger behind her.

"Why would the Stealth Force send you here? If they had orders to deliver, they would have just sent a hell butterfly."

"In ordinary circumstances, yes. However, this order carries the combined authority of Head Captain Petrova and Captain Vaughn."

"Combined authority? Is the order top-secret?" After receiving the communiqué, Jenna ran into her boss' office. "Captain Saltzman, I have urgent news."

"What is it? Must be important to make you run. Come to think of it. I felt the mana aura of the Stealth Force. They sent someone didn't they?"

"Sir, Captain Niklaus Mikaelson was found dead this morning. The cause of death is severe heart injury and removal of the soul with a demon blade. It is definitely a homicide. No suspect yet. The news was classified as top-priority for officer's eyes only and it's signed by Head Captain Petrova and Captain Vaughn. There is no doubt to the report."

"In that case, let's go pay him a visit. I'd like to see this with my own eyes."

"Yes, sir."

_Things are starting to get out of hand it seems. I hope you haven't done anything rash, Elena, _Alaric thought. When he arrived at the entrance of Celestial Hospital, the headquarters for the 4th Squad, he wasn't surprised to see Elena with her lieutenant by the front door.

"Head Captain!" he called.

"Alaric. Katerina has finished the autopsy. Bonnie, Lieutenant Sommers, please run a perimeter sweep to the boundary of one mile from this location."

"Yes, Head Captain," both lieutenants nodded before flashing away.

"What's going on?" Alaric asked as the two captains walked into the building. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. I wake up this morning, hear screaming by the Holy Wall, and rushed there as quickly as I could. Witnesses reported seeing the dead body of Klaus pinned to the wall by his own sword."

"Witnesses? You did not see the same thing?"

"No. At first I saw only Klaus' sword, but then as he was taken down from the wall, the sword turned into that of a Hunter that wasn't Klaus."

"What in the world is going on?"

"I suspect some trickery is about." They walked into the morgue and found Captain Katerina Petrova standing over a body. "Katerina, report."

"I examined the body for the possibility of a puppet corpse, but the result was negative. Tell me what you both see."

"I see the body of Niklaus Mikaelson," said Alaric. He then noticed Elena's eyes widen in realization. "Head Captain?"

"I recognize him."

"Sister. What do you see?" Katerina asked.

"The body of the 3rd seated officer of my squad." Elena clenched her fists in anger.

"This is most disconcerting," Katerina replied. "I've run other tests. I believe the reason for you not seeing the body of Klaus Mikaelson has to do with your biology."

"What do you mean?"

"Your brain is wired differently from other Hunters. I believe it has to do with Fenrir. She is an electric and ice type demon blade is she not?"

"Correct."

"I suspect a constant flow of electricity runs through your body and brain as a result of possessing Fenrir. That means you are immune to illusionary techniques."

"Then are you saying?"

"I believe Captain Mikaelson has released his demon blade, casting a mass hypnosis spell over the entire Hunter population. The only one it's not affecting is you. What in the world is going on, sister?"

"Klaus is making his move. He's preparing to betray the Dark Dimension. Keep this to yourself. Do not notify your lieutenant. I'm issuing you a special assignment. You are hereby ordered to covertly locate, but not capture Captain Niklaus Mikaelson."

"I understand. I trust you will inform me of the details surrounding this suspicious activity after I locate Klaus."

"Of course." Elena then left the hospital with Alaric. "Aeron. I never did like that demon blade. I should have sealed it."

"What do we do now?" Alaric asked.

"We stay the course. The only order that's changed is that we may more freely speak of this. It might draw Klaus out if he hears we have been suspicious of him."

"What's the point of Kat locating Klaus if we have no intent to attack?"

"Knowledge is power, Alaric. I still don't know what Klaus' endgame is. Until we do, we will not act rashly. Have you made progress with your mission?"

"Yes. I believe Galen Vaughn, Mikael Mikaelson, and of course, your sister, Katerina, are trustworthy and have no intention of betraying the Dark Dimension."

"Are you sure about Mikael? He is Klaus' father after all."

"Step-father if we're going to be technical."

"Ah, yes. That's right. I almost forgot. Klaus is the bastard child of the Mikaelson family. However, my question is still the same."

"There is only one thing Mikael desires more than anything else. Fighting. He gains nothing by betraying the Dark Dimension. With us, he can kill and fight as many demons as he likes."

"Very well. Be cautious in bringing them into the fold. Start with Katerina then Galen." Jenna and Bonnie then flashed in front of their captains, kneeling.

"How did it go?" Bonnie asked.

"He's dead," Elena replied.

"I see."

"We need to find out who was behind it. Where is the Captain of Squad 11?"

"I felt his mana a few minutes ago," Jenna replied. "I believe is fighting with the intruder."

"Very well. Lieutenant Sommers, Lieutenant Bennett, return to your posts. Captain Saltzman and I have business to attend to."

Meanwhile, Tyler was running from Mikael, but was cut off. He parried an attack and continued to run away.

"Is running away the only thing you know how to do?"

_ Calm down. I can do it! He can't be invincible! Damn it! Stop shaking for heaven's sake! _Tyler mentally chastised himself. He noticed the wall crack. Thinking it to be Mikael, he readied himself. Mikael indeed burst through the wall.

"Stop embarrassing yourself with this running around. I don't like chasing rabbits."

Tyler clashed with the captain, who blocked all the attacks with no effort. Tyler was winded, but Mikael was as still and menacing as a statue. The two clashed again. Tyler landed a hit to no avail.

_ Shit. I hit him, but why didn't he get hurt! Is the difference between our strengths that great! Damnit! No. This is no time to be scared. Stepping back means failure. Cowering means death! _Tyler attacked and finally wounding him. _I did it. I can cut him. I can win._

"What's this? So you can do it after all," Mikael grinned. "Don't relax yet. Keep up that sharpened mana. The fun is just beginning." After back flipping over Mikael, Tyler realized Mikael vanished only to resurface behind him. Tyler blocked Mikael's attack. "Good! Very good reaction! Your concentration is improving!"

"You still underestimate me. Is that why you're not releasing the seal on your demon blade? What are you thinking? My sword already wounded you. If you keep holding back, I'll definitely beat you."

"My demon blade has no name."

"What?"

"This is the only form of my sword. I didn't put any seal on it. This is the true form of my demon blade."

"Good to know. So your sword won't get any stronger."

"So what? So you'll win if you just try a little bit harder? You're the one underestimating me! The reason why there's no seal is because my mana is so strong that even the strongest seal won't do any good. So when I fight, I just hold back on how hard I swing. Do you see? If I don't hold back, my enemy will become so weak that I can't enjoy it at all." His demon blade then easily cuts through Akira and impaled Tyler. "I told you not to relax just yet. Your mana has become this weak just because you saw a chance to win." Akira split in two and Tyler collapsed. "What a boring end." He turned to walk away, but then felt an intense mana energy. _What the hell_? Tyler stood up and a storm of mana surrounded him as Akira reformed itself. _This mana…The bleeding on the wound is slowly stopping. _Tyler then attacked with increased speed, cutting Mikael's shoulders badly and pushing him back.

"Sorry, but I don't have time to waste here. I'm going to finish this in one strike."

"Finish in one strike? That's not good. It's just starting to get interesting, isn't it? We should drag this out as long as we can!" Mikael lunged forward and Tyler cut his face, but Mikael tripped him back. "I don't get it! How did you revive yourself! How did you become so strong! I don't get it at all! But that doesn't matter! Right now we should just enjoy the moment!"

_ Damn it. I'm winning here in both number of successful attacks and mana aura. Yet no matter how much I cut him, he won't fall!_ "You're crazy! Ridiculously crazy! Do you like fighting that much? You're not afraid of dying?"

"I'm crazy? You're the one who's crazy! You're so strong! Why don't you like to fight! Enjoy it! Enjoy the carnage, the pain! They're a small price to pay for the enjoyment of battle! This is great! An equal match-up! Only by a little. How long has it been since I've last had this feeling? It seems that you are a worthy opponent so I'll go full out on you! I'm going to use all of my energy to kill you." He released a shockwave of mana that reached to the clouds. With one slash, he cut a nearby building in half. Tyler also exploded with mana. "Hah. You can increase your aura even now?"

"Of course I can! I am borrowing Akira's power and fighting side by side with him. I'll never lose to someone who only fights for himself!"

"Akira? Is that the name of your demon blade? Borrowing the power of your demon blade? That's bullshit. Demon blades are just tools of war! Fighting side by side with a demon blade is just the whining words of those too spineless to fight by themselves! It's not something people like you and me should say, Tyler!" Their mana called out to each other in bloodlust and the two attacked. In one fatal, deciding blow, an explosion occurred, leveling all the nearby structures.

"Amara, sorry," Tyler muttered as the dust settled and he collapsed.

"Hah. What are you apologizing for? You won, idiot." Mikael fell as well. Several minutes after the fight, Alaric and Elena appeared on the scene.

"Sorry, kid…for being late," Elena whispered. "You got beat up real nice, didn't you? But your opponent was Mikael so it couldn't be helped. It's already pretty good just to tie. Don't worry. We won't let you die just yet."

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